HR 8point5W Threewoods
by slytherinsal
Summary: Notice is brought to the Woodcrafter Hall that all is not well at the secondary Crafthall Threewoods; Master Isimy and handpicked Journeymen and apprentices are sent to sort out the trouble caused by lax discipline and worse 9-30-2523 to summer 2524
1. Chapter 1

_A/N yes, I do reiterate what was said in Elissa's Fosterlings as an introduction to this first chapter; then it stands alone as a story too. Bear with me, you'll soon be into the meat of the rest of it. Thanks to everyone who reviewed and continues to review and who asked for me to get right along with this. Enjoy!_

**Chapter 1**

"Let me pour you both klah….this is going to be a long haul" said Master Isimy.

Alaran and Margand were beginning to wonder just what being his special assistants at Threewoods Crafthall might entail!

The Master spoke seriously to his new assistants and explained to them the various reasons that Master Bendarek had seen fit to withdraw the Master in charge of Threewoods Craft Hall. He told them too that it had come to light that Serelis' father was a journeyman in a craftcot attached to Threewoods; and then needed to explain to a horrified Margand how a seven-turn-old child had been sold to a trader to hide the fact that she had lost a foot through her own father's carelessness. Alaran of course knew the story from H'llon! There was more that the Master had gleaned from the boy Birgel, the son of one of the teaching Journeymen; and that, with the boy's general bad attitude and lack of competence was very telling against the Hall. That the same hall had failed to take care of the widow of a logger and their orphaned son but left them destitute drew cries of horror from both new Journeymen!

"There is now too a new Lady Holder of the Hold that hosts the crafthall; who will have her own troubles to contend with after her grandfather, who was previous Holder, was murdered" Isimy told them. "And it was her grandfather who gave succour to Ciella and her young son Diccon. He's apprenticed happily at High Reaches Weyr now, under H'llon; and not before time that the craft stepped in! Incidentally, we'll have backup if we need it from acting Woodcraftmaster Bronze Rider H'llon and thus the Weyr in general; and we shall make sure if we invoke his name to impress ALL his titles on the lax crew we'll be licking into shape and make fardling well sure they use them!"

"Aren't there ANY Masters left there likely to be helpful? And won't they rather resent us, especially as we're both young?" asked Margand.

"No other Masters" rumbled Isimy "One Master and half a dozen in-Hall journeymen, and perhaps twice that in their own independent craftcots. The number is unconfirmed. Maybe there's more; maybe less. Records seem a little….incomplete. Billan could keep better records assisted by Sheesha and a fair of new-hatched firelizards!"

The youths laughed, but looked aghast. Billan was not the most scrupulous of record keepers amongst the journeymen; and anyone helped by a heedless piece like little apprentice Sheesha was likely to be in a muddle be they as careful as Master Challer! And with the addition of firelizards, untrained and enthusiastic….

"I HOPE that's an exaggeration, Master" said Alaran.

"Alas, only barely!" said Isimy. "In the Hold we'll work with Ciella, the logger's widow; she's now headwoman there so she has understanding of our troubles which may help and she has undertaken to write out a list of all the journeymen she knew of. It's good of her to go to the trouble after her unnecessary sufferings. By all accounts, the laxity runs to more than the records; by what that boy Birgel has said in detailed questioning, the whole atmosphere is lax. Coming here was a shock to him; he was expecting confirmation as journeyman to be a foregone conclusion because he thought he 'knew all there was to know' if you please!"

"Toerag!" said Alaran indignantly "KISRA knows more than he does!"

"Quite" said Isimy, dryly. "And he is discovering that; and galling it is too to a big boy of fifteen to be surpassed by a maid child only just Turned twelve. And in a turn or two perhaps the lad might return having finally caught up to make journeyman, and make himself useful. But expect mucking about; and insolence; and a limit to the number of classes. There is NO marquetry taught, nor advanced cabinet making, nor turning. Alaran, you will teach lathe; Margand, you will teach general decoration, that is starting chip carving as well as marquetry and parquetry. They teach logging and sawing – and even those vital skills to loggers not very well it seems if Birgel is an advanced specimen to our study – basic wood jointing skills; and that came CLOSE to Master Jaben's stringent standards, almost to the level of an apprentice who'd studied two full turns, and it's the one thing Birgel may be said to be good at. If 'good' quite covers it. The boy's father is the journeyman teaching that. I'd like to take some senior apprentices of our lot to stiffen the general atmosphere; but the three that spring readily to mind are likely to get picked on for looking or seeming different."

"Tirlo – stutter; Teerel; twisted spine; Kamar – squashed face?" guessed Alaran, the three being cronies of his own from his own so recent apprentice days.

"Exactly" said Isimy. "None of which affect them as crafters; but children can be cruel; and wild, out of control children…"

Margand winced.

"Tage is too gentle; they'd get at him" he said "And Seeta the same. She couldn't say boo to a wherry! Bierel? Sarney?"

"Bierel has a turn for mischief without letting it out of hand….Sarney keeps himself to himself but he's not afraid to do what he has to do. I'll ask Master Bendarek. Alaran?"

Alaran grinned.

"Bierel and I once put Master Batol's – as he was then – underlinen on top of the log store tied to the lightning conductor" he said. "He is younger than me, by a turn or so; but he knows the difference between pranking and daftness, he's no ovine to go bleating after some idiot leader. I like Sarney too, he's a good sort; he and Tage are by way of being friends though….still, Tage is friendly with 'most everyone. Let's have Kamar; Sarney and Bierel won't let anyone cheek him in their hearing and he's got heaps of self confidence, you know!"

Isimy nodded.

"Good; three will be a good cadre. And Sarney is likely to be made up to Journeyman next turn too, he's a turn older than the other two."

"Yes" said Alaran "He's my age; and Margand's."

"True" said Isimy "But some are readier than others. He'll have to settle for tassels only for now; as he already has."

"What other skills DO they teach, sir?" asked Margand. "If it's only forestry, sawcraft and jointing, it's scarcely a woodcraft hall at all – and even more shame that a boy Birgel's age couldn't make any grade on so meagre a group of skills!"

"They do have a wheelmaker and a papermaker and a varnishmaker who I presume must have SOME knowledge of dyecraft. And there's a free carver. And I'm doubtful about the efficacy of any of them judging by Birgel's work since he was supposed to be a star pupil!"

There were mutters of assent from the new journeymen!

The group from the Woodcrafter Hall were to leave soon; and Master Barlis, lately Master of Threewoods, would return to the parent crafthall. Barlis was a forester, trained under Master Challer; and in Challer's estimation good at what he did.

Apparently he was not so good at inspiring his followers nor at keeping discipline.

wWwWw

The first person to approach Master Isimy when he arrived was Journeyman Hagel, Birgel's father.

"May I ask, Master, why my son wrote to me that he did not make the grade for journeyman?" he asked respectfully enough.

Isimy regarded him; the face was open, though he thought there was a touch of petulance to it.

"Because he didn't" he said "And not by a long chalk. His work is by no means good enough for a journeyman; all his skills are poor save jointing, in which he is equal to my twelve-turn-old niece. He is in that respect average for a second-turn apprentice and good enough to pass on to cabinet making, but in a youth of fifteen turns that is disappointing, very disappointing. Especially in the craftbred who one would expect to be a turn ahead, not a turn behind. Of course, had he applied himself from the moment he reached us, he might have pulled himself up; others have managed in the past who do NOT have his advantage of background; but he preferred to lark and play."

Hagel gave a deprecating laugh.

"Oh well, they're only young once. Apprentices like to play."

Isimy shrugged.

"Not if they want to be journeymen. You can't have it both ways, Journeyman Hagel; if he's young enough to want to play – and frankly the pranks he got up to we wondered if there was something wrong with him since they were more appropriate to the games our new intake were playing, little boys and girls of ten and eleven – then he is too young mentally to consider as a journeyman even if his skills WERE up to scratch. Which they were not. Journeymen put childishness behind them; we have dangers in our craft that do NOT forgive heedless silliness! Perhaps that is why this Hall has a poor safety record too! Incidentally" he moved on swiftly "Birgel says he has a sister who has not been allowed to apprentice; why is that?"

"Oh well, we're only a small Hall; we have few enough places without wasting any on girls who are only likely to get married and be lost to the craft" said Hagel.

Isimy blinked. It sounded glib and learned.

"What a parochial, hidebound oldtimer attitude! SOME girls marry and devote time to children – and generally give those children their first craft preparation! In Lemos we have a number of very talented female journeymen, some of whom are married and juggle quite adequately married life and craft, even as a man does. Two of them even teach part time, including my sister-in-law. You'll get your daughter here later this very day if she's willing; I'm sure she'll catch up readily, you don't seem to expect high standards after all. I'll set one of my senior apprentices bringing her on."

"Er….yes Master" said Hagel. He was still fuming over his son being considered inadequate; and fuming even more over the fact that it might be true!

"Assemble the teaching journeymen for me; I intend to speak to them" said Isimy. "Know that many of my general remarks will NOT apply to you; your boy is a lazy little scrub but I see your teaching has been careful enough and will improve when the discipline of this whole Hall is tightened."

Hagel brightened somewhat; and went to do Isimy's bidding.

wWwWw

The Journeymen of Threewoods crafthall looked wary, not to say shifty.

"Do you know why I was sent in Master Barlis' place?" asked Isimy.

There were shaken heads.

Isimy began by pointing out that Barlis was a perfectly good Forestmaster; but had let discipline slide. He cited the two examples of ill usage that had come so far to master Bendarek's ears; adding dryly that he would not be surprised to learn of other accidents the news of which had NOT got about; and equal attendant failure to care for dependants.

There were uncomfortable shuffles and a long, loud silence.

"As I thought" said Isimy grimly "The record keeping here is lax too; and if the lot of you were proud enough of yourselves to think that boy Birgel was well prepared for Journeymanship you are deluding nobody but yourselves! If his preparation is an example of your collective teaching, I'm half inclined to get rid of the lot of you and bring in a pack of second turn apprentices from Lemos Hall who would appear to have a better grasp of which end of a chisel is the dangerous one than you lot of scrofulous no-hopers! Discipline appears to be non-existent – and no wonder you have accidents! And the few meagre classes you manage to teach are poorly taught and lacking in depth. I presume each of you knew enough about your own subject to be promoted to Journeyman in the first place; but there's a lot more to teaching than knowing – even if you haven't spent the intervening turns forgetting! I suspect some of you are suffering in your classes from the laxity of behaviour instilled from the very top: and if you have not had the force of personality to impose discipline in your own classes, a bunch of wherry-brained boys permitted to run riot will not make your task easier."

"It's not easy to impose order if discipline is countermanded by other journeymen currying favour to some of the boys" growled one journeyman.

"You are?"

"Kaybez. I teach Varnish and finishing; and when you put a boy on bread and water for three days and he laughs at you because another tells him he need not worry about that and orders kitchen to feed him, what do you do?"

"The countermand was not ratified by the Master?" asked Isimy.

Kaybez shook his head.

Isimy's eyes narrowed. He was also pleased however to note that Kaybez was sufficiently loyal to his own hall to name no names instead of trying to shift blame.

"NO Journeyman has the right to countermand the punishment of another; nor any Master to any Master. Let us get that quite clear" he said softly. "The Master of a crafthall may be appealed to if a punishment is felt to be harsh, humiliating or unjust. If anyone feels a punishment imposed is too harsh he will come to ME. NO journeyman will countermand the punishment of another. Conversely, no journeyman should be using serious physical punishment; a light cuff as a reproof is acceptable; no more. I do not, of course, count putting a boy – or girl I suppose – on a short stint at the bottom of the saw pit for dangerous behaviour in the mill. It's an unpleasant but necessary part of the job and if they will lark about it provides some time for reflection. If no-one is on punishment of course, how a rota is organised is up to the journeyman in charge so long as it is fair. Strict rota is how we do it in Lemos; at the woodhall at High Reaches Weyr they dice for it. If the lads think it fair, it probably is. It does NOT mean that favourites get saved saw duty any more than from any punishment. Do I make myself clear on all these points?"

There was a murmur of rather sullen assent.

Isimy was not going out of his way to be popular; and he had won no friends so far – save perhaps a grudging willingness to see how he went from Kaybez.

"Very well" the Master said "There are two more teaching Journeymen who will help to bring this Hall a little more in line with a true crafthall; Journeyman Alaran will introduce the craft of turning; and Journeyman Margand will teach Marquetry, inlay and the start of free carving to free up the carving master to teach more fretwork and block carving for the weavercraft."

The looks the new Journeymen were given smacked of the looks apprentices were wont to bestow on Masters' pets.

Alaran managed to resist the temptation to stick out his tongue!

wWwWw

Alaran and Margand set out to explore their new home, helped by Alaran's brown firelizard Wally.

The crafthall was set against and into one side of a steep sided alpine valley, with the Hold on the other side, and the Gather Ground on the valley floor. And the trees here were predominantly pines, sweeping up the valley sides towards the sky.

Alaran shuddered.

"It is rather claustrophobic, isn't it?" said Margand "I was afraid I'd feel that way at the Crafthall, but nobody makes a fellow stay under shutters during Threadfall if they don't want to."

Alaran shrugged.

"It's our pact with F'lar. If we keep the ground clear we keep the trees. And only by going out as soon as the trailing edge has gone over can we ever hope to do that. And some of us are out during Fall, because with flamethrowers and agenothree for score it's safe enough under dragons, with the skybrooms for added cover."

"Do they have skybrooms here? What three woods does the name of the place refer to?"

"Pine, skybroom and sugar maple; I checked it up. The High Reaches had better sugaring off than we do in Lemos – I say. It'll be your first time!" Alaran grinned "Sugaring off is great, very sticky and there's a dance and feast when it's all done. And all the syrup you can eat, and Saranna makes blackberry ice cream to eat hot syrup on!" he smacked his lips.

Margand laughed.

"You sound like you're still an apprentice!"

"Believe me, thinking of sugaring-off I FEEL like an apprentice" Alaran laughed too "We'll climb up to the ridge sometime; there'll be a view to be had up there I warrant. I see the sawmill down by the river; the wheel uses the river as motive power not a tributary. And it's no very big waterway itself; I'd have thought a tributary coming down the valley would have more speed and power by making it an overshot wheel not an undershot."

"I haven't a clue what you're babbling about" said Margand "Talk sense and explain."

"Oh, it's easy; an overshot wheel, well the water pushes at the top of the wheel so starting it falling away always from the water; undershot, the water has to push the wheel to climb, so it takes more oomph, so overshot is better."

Margand nodded.

"Technical words like er, oomph aside, that makes sense. Maybe there's no suitable tributary or the ground by it wasn't suitable to build a mill."

"Or they got lazy. We'll find out. I shan't much like being partly in caves, I have to say; I like being all open. You too?"

"Rather. There are caves at Igen, but plenty of wide entrances to look out of. And I LIKE the building at Lemos; it's safe without coddling people."

"We'll need to build new crafthalls for our crafts; let's ask Master Isimy if we can build out, with plenty of windows. Crafting needs light, especially delicate stuff like marquetry. Lathework you CAN do by feel – Telfer used to when he was blind – but I like to see!"

Hereupon, Alaran had to explain about Telfer's background to Margand; and the once Holdless boy learned yet more about the folks of High Reaches Weyr.

"I'd say we were lucky at least in our dragon cover" he ventured.

Alaran nodded.

"And Cousin H'llon will keep an eye out for us too!" he said "Well, let's get our order in for building our craftrooms and living quarters before Turn's end, huh?"

"Yes; and meantime let us get to know journeymen and apprentices that they will respect us once they join our classes!" said Margand. "Begin as we mean to go on!"


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

The young journeymen had a rather closer first acquaintance with an apprentice than they might have wished when a small boy hurtling down the slope crashed into Alaran, rolled and got up to run off.

"Hey! Apprentice! You brat! Come here!" hollered Alaran, getting his own breath back.

The boy looked back.

"Can't! Sorry!" he said.

Alaran gasped in shock; and Margand sprang on the lad, heaving him up by the collar.

"First egg, boy, do you commonly disobey journeymen and disrespect them by not so much as calling them 'sir'?" he bellowed.

The child looked scared stiff and thoroughly miserable as he took in their knots.

"Oh fardles!" he said "I'm most awf'ly sorry journeymen, sirs, but oh please let me go or they'll hold me head down in the stream and – and it scares me!"

"Who will? Why?"

"Well I cheeked Horslas you see – I didn't mean to, and I don't quite know how I did, maybe I looked at him too long – so he and Banessan said I had to run up and down the hill five times and do it in good time or they'd give me a drowning!"

"And are these Horslas and Banessan Journeymen?" asked Alaran.

The boy stared.

"Oh no, uh, sir! But they're big ones so we have to do as we're told!"

"You mean they're senior apprentices? Have their tassels?"

"No; but they're big boys."

"Bullies" said Margand grimly. "What's your name, kid?"

"Siffio sir"

"Then, young Siffio, lead us to these precious bullies."

The tone was cold and grim.

wWwWw

As the youths began to emerge from the trees there was a shout,

"Come on posh kid, stir your steps! Looks like you really want that drowning!"

Margand signalled Siffio to stay back; and he and Alaran walked out of the trees and up to the two boys who were about their own age.

"You have been caught by journeymen threatening and bullying a small boy to the extent of risk to wind and limb" said Alaran "Water rations for both of you for a sevenday; and if you are caught at it again, your punishment will be more severe."

"What, sticking up for that little twat because he's Ranking?" sneered one of the boys.

Alaran's eyes flashed.

"As if it were your business, his birth was both unknown and IS immaterial to me. He is an apprentice; under the care of the journeymen here. What is your name?"

"Banessan" said the boy sulkily.

"Banessan WHAT?" barked Alaran. Wally hissed aggressively.

"Just Banessan."

"YOU SAY BANNESSAN SIR WHEN ADDRESSING A JOURNEYMAN YOU DISCOURTEOUS LITTLE CREEP!" Alaran screamed right in the boy's face "WHAT is your name?"

"Banessan…..sir" said the boy even more sulkily.

"Well Banessan, for calling my integrity into question, another four days water ration; that's eleven for you if you can't manage to add it up. Where are you supposed to be? This can't be a leisure period!"

They shuffled.

"Free carving" muttered Horslas "Sir" he added hastily as both Journeymen stared at him.

"Very well; as you have both skived off this two hour period you will spend four hours on the Seventhday cleaning necessaries to teach you the value of work. Siffio, where are YOU supposed to be?"

"Nowhere sir; the Master's gone so there's no theory class on trees" said the younger boy.

"Then you are excused cleaning punishment" said Alaran "Go and find the others of your class and bring them to the main eating hall, all of them you can find."

Siffio darted off; and the journeyman left the older apprentices staring after them as they too left.

The phrase,

"…..don't have to do it…..Maybret will countermand it" floated up to them.

Alaran stopped, turned, and walked back.

"For your information, apprentice, Master Isimy has expressly forbidden the countermanding of punishment set by one journeyman by another journeyman as such is most improper. If you wish to complain to Master Isimy about the punishment I have set do so. HE has the power to countermand punishments; and ONLY he. And NEVER disrespect a journeyman again by assuming you can wriggle out of your just desserts again. Master Isimy will stand by me setting punishment; he may modify it if he feels it too harsh – or too lenient. God morning."

Out of earshot of them, Margand said,

"You're so GOOD! I could never be so – so MASTERLY as that!"

"Yes you will" said Alaran "Just pretend to be Gerney; you'll soon get there. That's what I'm doing – him or H'llon. Except H'llon, being bigger than a skybroom tree, would have banged their nasty heads together too. He hates bullies."

Margand grinned.

"I'll do my best with such good advice!" he said.

"The secret is, stay calm; or at least maintain your cool. WE have right to reprimand when there is real offence. How do you know it's an offence? Think if one of OUR Masters would jump all over you if you did it. If yes, then it is. If no, then it isn't. If you can't think of a creative punishment, water rations or cleaning necessaries will do; I was too horrified to find such blatant naughtiness and rudeness I couldn't be cleverer."

"Oh I don't know….doubling the training time in unpleasant work seems fairly creative" said Margand.

"Yes; but a rod for my own back because then I have to stand over them to be sure they actually do it!" mourned Alaran "And bang goes MY leisure time too!"

"We'll do two hours each" said Margand "Obviously; we're in partnership aren't we?"

"Thanks!" said Alaran "I appreciate that!"

wWwWw

The journeymen walked into the kitchen.

"Who is the headwoman?" asked Alaran.

A slightly slatternly woman dropped a rough curtsey.

"I am, journeyman" she said.

"Apprentice Horslas is on a water diet for seven days; Apprentice Banessan for eleven. He may have fruit during the last four days in addition to bread for the good of his health. Has Master Isimy passed the order that punishments are not to be countermanded?"

She looked scared and muttered something.

"Say that out loud" said Alaran sharply.

"I said, if I don't countermand it, Journeyman Maybret will put my son in the pit, AND twist his arm black and blue!" she said defiantly.

"Maybret teaches sawcraft?" asked Alaran.

"Yes, sir"

"And your son is?"

"Apprentice Keltor, sir."

"I see. I will speak to Master Isimy. If you are blackmailed over your son's wellbeing that is unreasonable; I will have him transferred immediately to the main Woodcrafter Hall out of the way of any influence over him. Have you other sons or daughters likely to be bullied?"

"No sir."

"Very well; at lunch, tell Keltor to go and pack; a dragon will be here for him two hours after noon."

Her eyes filled with tears and she seized Alaran's hand and kissed it.

"Now then!" said Alaran gruffly "Don't worry; it's going to be all right!"

He dragged himself away and wrote a message to H'llon, attaching it to the collar of little brown Wally.

Then he went to see Isimy to make a brief report.

Isimy listened, nodding.

"You did well, both of you" he said.

"Alaran did it all" said Margand.

Isimy shrugged.

"He has the gift of the gab; I daresay you scowled supportively that helped the message go across."

"He did" said Alaran "And he caught the kid so we were able to find out what was going on."

Isimy nodded.

"I agree with the decision to send the boy Keltor away" he said "You acted as I would have done; and I approve your decision to take it on yourselves rather than waste time seeking me out. What next?"

"See if I have any unoccupied twelve turn old boys in the Hall" said Alaran "They did theory with the Master; I'm going to talk to them."

Isimy nodded.

"Good; carry on" he said.

wWwWw

Siffio had collected another seven boys between ten turns and his own age, who were scuffling and giggling. They gazed on Alaran and Margand curiously, some still talking.

Alaran looked on them in horrified amazement.

"Excuse me" murmured Margand "MY turn."

He strolled back into the kitchen, picked up a klah mug, strolled out and hurled it to the floor in the middle of the knot of apprentices.

It made a satisfying crash as it shattered.

The little boys froze, staring.

"That got your attention, didn't it, you rude little toerags?" said Margand, conversationally. "WHEN A JOURNEYMAN COMES INTO THE ROOM, YOU SHUT UP IMMEDIATELY AND RISE TO YOUR LAZY FEET!"

Most of them jumped at the bellow.

"My colleague and I will withdraw for one hundred heartbeats; when we return, that mess of klah mug will have been cleared up and you will treat us with the respect our knots deserve!" said Margand.

He and Alaran withdrew.

"Nice" said Alaran.

"Suddenly came to me" said Margand.

"Are you counting? Because I forgot to" said Alaran.

"No, I'm waiting for the last tinkle of china" said Margand "THEN we walk in – keep them a little bit off balance!"

"Good one" grinned Alaran.

This time the boys rose as a body, staring enviously at Wally.

"Please be seated" said Alaran. "The working of a crafthall is based on respect; respect given for skill, that earns the knots of Journeyman or Master; or indeed the tassels of a senior apprentice. To be given respect however we must earn it; you MUST respect the skill implicit in a journeyman's knots, but amongst yourselves you must earn respect. Bullies are not deserving of respect; but bullies will not cease their bullying merely for being punished when caught; nor should Journeymen have to devote all their time to watching for them. By banding together, bullies can be defeated; and they will learn to leave you alone. Yes lad?"

One boy had put up his hand.

"Won't we be punished if lots of us jump a bully?" he asked.

"Oh yes!" said Alaran "But you'll still have jumped him, won't you?"

There were slightly dubious murmurs of assent to that.

"I didn't mean to give you a lecture on bullies; but it struck me that you might actually need one" said Alaran dryly. "I am Journeyman Alaran; my colleague is Journeyman Margand. As of the new turn I shall be teaching lathe and he will be teaching marquetry, inlay, and simple caving to free Journeyman uh, Veller to teach more complex techniques. I will, later, be asking for volunteers to help build some simple pole lathes that will have to do until we can get proper treadle lathes made. It is a skill in itself and any boy who volunteers will have it credited to their records."

There was a decidedly approving murmur at that!

Another boy put up his hand.

"Sir, I know how to build a pole lathe, my father has one."

"Good. Your name? And are you any good at turning?"

"Deaky sir, and I – I think so; my father let me turn spools for him."

"And that's a hard job without a high speed lathe; softwood splinters so. I'll test you; if you're any good, if you like I'll consider you a Special. As I will with any apprentice with talent that so wishes it" he added. "Special apprentices do more hours, run excess errands and work harder; they also tend to get treats like being taken out for days to help, or taken on errands to the weyr. I know all about the hard work; I was special, before I made journeyman, to Master Gerney at Lemos the pre-eminent lathemaster on Pern. It does NOT equate to favourite or journeyman's pet; I would expect exemplary behaviour from a special and punish him harder than any other if he ever let me down."

"Likewise" said Margand.

"Sir, if I make it, I'd like it!" said Deaky, eyes glowing. "Can I help with treadle making too? Father has told me about them and drew diagrams on bark!"

"That I should have to see" said Alaran. "The rest of you, if you have a skill you excel at, the faculty is here to help you develop them you know" he swept his eyes round. "Oh – one more thing – and apropos of bullies again. Unless there is dangerous behaviour going on likely to cause real injury it is not done to sneak; I practically bullied information out of Siffio earlier because I felt the pace he was running at on a hillside was dangerous; and I think too he was too surprised not to answer. He was not sneaking because he described behaviour that I think has become almost accepted behaviour here. It will NOT be acceptable in the future. Tell someone like us two or one of the three new senior apprentices. You can go to them for ANY problem that would be sneaking to go to a grown up over. They will work with you to sort it out. We picked them as decent boys who also know how to take care of themselves – and others."

"Like Rillen, sir – he's a big boy, seventeen turns, and he's kind but he can't do nothing on his own!" piped up one babe "The rest of the biggest ones don't care 'bout us, they just want their journeyman's knots!"

"Hmm, sounds like this Rillen's the most worthy of those knots then" said Alaran "I'll chat to him. Meantime go to Sarney, Bierel or Kamar. They have…..creative….. ways of dealing with bullies" he grinned. "Which naturally, as a Journeyman, I know absolutely nothing about."

The small boys giggled!

They looked quite an enthusiastic bunch; perhaps they would not have been yet ruined by this sorry mess of a crafthall!

"Very well, dismissed" said Alaran "You have time to use the necessary and wash your grubby features and hands before the noon meal; and believe me, some of you are in sore need of so doing. Scoot!"

They scooted.

"You had them in the palm of your hand" said Margand.

"With a little help from my friend to get their attention in the first place" said Alaran. "Kids like to know where the boundaries are; what's acceptable and what is not. Y'know what, old man, we've not been here quite two hours?"

"Feels like a sevenday!" groaned Margand.

"Heh, it'll get worse before it gets better!" opined Alaran!


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3 **

Sarney, Bierel and Kamar had spent a quieter morning touring the craftshops with Master Isimy to be introduced to each of the journeymen and absorb their impression of each for the Master; for they had been told to be logicators first and apprentices second on the subject of journeymen.

It was a fine distinction; but they were boys with the common sense to appreciate it. Bierel was a bit of a part time logicator – he had been shocked by the more seamy revelations of life like Sandrina's iniquities and the killing of the girl Runa –but had agreed to work harder on that for the overall good of the craft.

"The less pleasant ones will assume you're my spies anyway" said Isimy bluntly "So you might as well have the fun side of being what you're going to be accused of."

Kamar grinned.

"So long as we're not spying on the boys; that would be unforgivable."

"No; you make your own judgements there" said Isimy "And when I catch you administering a well deserved thrashing I shall punish you."

"Sir, of course, sir!" said Kamar.

That they all understood!

wWwWw

Isimy asked for comments after the tour, after he had too heard Alaran's report.

"Reckon the whole lot ought to be demoted to apprentice" said Sarney "Them as aren't knaves are fools."

"I'd not be quite so harsh" said Kamar "Hagel's not grown up, but the atmosphere here don't encourage that any. Maybret is Batol with a sawpit for extra cruelty – DID you see his little cruel eyes – Kaybez'll be fine if he can BE a journeyman and set punishment, though why the kitchen staff let anyone fiddle them about's beyond me."

"Fear of punishment to the Headwoman's son" said Isimy "Alaran's packing him off to Lemos."

Kamar nodded enlightenment.

"That begins to make sense" he said "Where was I? Oh yes, Manon the wheelwright, he's a craftsman all right, but no great teacher and I reckon he's given up. Caim the papermaker would teach all right if there was a general level of discipline; he's enthusiastic enough but can't handle big recalcitrant sullen brats. Veller the carver is just weak. I think he's NICE enough."

"If you ask me" said Bierel "It's all Journeyman Maybret; he bullies the other Journeymen and won't let them step on his personal favourites – who are the bullies too amongst the apprentices. Can you get rid of him, Master?"

Isimy shook his head.

"Not as yet. There's nobody to replace him – and frankly the logging is the biggest part of the craft here. Unfortunately I suspect he knows that. I'll look out for a replacement, but in the meantime, we have to live with him. He WILL pick on you three."

"Huh, spent plenty o' time at the bottom end of the saw for ragging Master Challer" said Kamar "If he takes to punishing us for nothing we'll give him something and good to punish us for!"

"I don't think I want to have heard that" said Isimy.

They all grinned at him.

"where can we get caprines from?" murmured Bierel.

Isimy winced.

"Out, you horrors!" he said!

wWwWw

The senior apprentices sat at their own table to eat. Three kept close together; the fourth hesitated and sat down with the new three.

"Rillen" he held out a hand.

They gave him theirs and shook.

"Is it true that there are going to be changes?" asked Rillen in an undertone "Or is it all so much ash and gas?"

"They'd better change" said Sarney "Master Bendarek said this place is bringing the craft into disrepute; never known him so waxy!"

Rillen paled.

"It is worse than I feared then" he said "I try to protect the kids, but I can't of course in lessons, nor be everywhere…will you three back me?"

"We were picked out to back up decent seniors and make trouble for bullies" said Kamar "And I warn you now, we'll risk harsh punishment to bring them down…..Master Isimy rarely ever thrashes anyone, but I'd take it for a good win. Though I wager he hits hard; his cuffs for inattention and cheek leave your head ringing" he rubbed an ear ruefully "Born cheeky, me."

"Be fair, that blow was for poking a pin into Jivana's fat rump" said Bierel.

"Three TURNS ago too!" said Kamar, grinning "HOW the daft wherry yowled!"

"You have female apprentices at Lemos?"

"Of course! Not as many as boys, though two of last turn's intake were almost as much trouble as Bierel and I were at their age" grinned Kamar. "WE never made an apple pie bed for a MASTER!"

"OR fed well salted porridge to a senior apprentice!" grinned Bierel "Mind you, I grant that that was because we never thought of it before we grew out of such shenanigans"

"I loved the pegs carved from cheese myself, bursting all over Master Jaben's joints" added Sarney.

Rillen looked shocked.

"They sound worse behaved then any here!"

"Difference is" said Kamar laconically "They're only ten turns old; and take their well deserved punishments like a man. They're high spirited; as one is supposed to be in the first turn or two of apprenticeship. And they're obedient; and polite; and rise when masters or journeymen come in to the room" with which he leaped to his feet as the teaching journeymen headed by Isimy came into the dining hall.

Rillen flushed crimson; and followed suit. The other seniors hesitated briefly; and copied them.

All the little boys leaped up; they had received due warning from the new journeymen after all.

Isimy went to the staff table and banged on it loudly.

"I count a dozen or so boys who have the decency and courtesy to rise for their elders and betters" he rumbled "Do the rest of you think that a change of Master means that you may disregard the normal courtesies and show such disrespect as to remain seated?"

The other apprentices stared; and straggled gradually to their feet.

"Hmm" said Isimy "Not very good. I think that the journeymen and I will retire without again; and try that again. Kellassa, you may feed the seniors and the juniors who have permission to remain seated when we return. We shall see whether the middles are capable of earning their food by rising a little quicker."

The middles were on their feet quickly when Isimy led the – largely scowling – journeymen back in.

"Much better" said Isimy "Remember how to greet a journeyman or master in the future; in class as well as in the dining hall."

wWwWw

The saw journeyman glanced over at where two boys were being given bread and water only; and beckoned to the headwoman.

"Kellassa, why are those two on water rations?"

"It was ordered, Journeyman, by another Journeyman as a punishment" said Kellassa.

"Which journeyman, Kellassa?" the voice was quiet but there was menace in it.

"That's surely immaterial, Journeyman" said Kellassa.

"I order you to tell me."

"THAT does not fall within my province of orders" said Kellassa, smiling a smile of triumphant malice that she could defy him at last.

His look said that he would hurt her son and she sneered.

"I gave the order, Old Boy, if you really want to know" drawled Alaran "They were bullying a small one; and worse than that they were infernally impudent to me. Playing hookey too they were; and they're on punishment duties for that too. Fardling inconvenient of them to make me give up my time to supervise them; and I'll make sure they know it."

"I'll supervise them" said Maybret.

"No, no, old boy, I made the order, I'll stand the damage" said Alaran cheerfully.

Maybret ground his teeth.

He did not know that Alaran called him 'old boy' in that offensive tone deliberately, being familiar with Z'kan's use of it in the same way by means of rebuke. The Oldtimer Bronze Rider was a bit of a hero with the logicators, having taken on fosterage of mixed up and unhappy Rayenn – now Bronze Rider R'enn – as well as being father to H'llon's adored weyrmate Z'ira.

"You're rather young for a Journeyman – another time you should clear that with a senior" snapped Maybret.

"Oh I don't think so, old boy" said Alaran "If we weren't ready for ALL the responsibilities of Journeymen, Master Bendarek wouldn't have made us up. I mean, after all, the Crafthall at Lemos had real standards; not the slipshod methods of some thirty-second rate craftcot with pretensions at adequacy. It's why we've been sent – old boy – to make sure standards are brought up to scratch everywhere."

It was spoken in a quiet, level, even pleasant voice; and as Maybret half turned to see if Isimy would overhear him lay into this jumped up brat, Alaran deliberately winked at Kaybez.

He made a friend on the spot.

"You sound like a ruddy dragonman" Margand muttered in his ear.

"That was the idea" grinned Alaran "Get him riled; angry men make mistakes."

Kaybez leaned forward before Maybret could speak again as the saw journeyman turned back.

"I agree utterly with your punishments, Journeyman Alaran; those two are frequently insolent."

"They'll soon learn not to be or spend a lot of time wishing they weren't" said Alaran "If water doesn't work Margand and I will just have to get creative."

wWwWw

After the meal Maybret went over to a skinny, pale boy who looked like Kellassa.

"Saw mill – now!" he snapped.

"Please, Journeyman, I've been ordered to pack" said the boy.

"Pack? What are you talking about?"

Isimy had been half expecting this and drifted over faster than his big frame might have implied.

"Run along Keltor, you don't have all day to be sociable! The dragonman won't want to hang about when he arrives!"

"No sir, sorry sir!" Keltor escaped thankfully.

"Dragon man? What's this?" demanded Maybret.

Isimy looked at him.

"What is this?" repeated Maybret.

"Haven't you forgotten a couple of things – Journeyman?" asked Isimy, ominously.

Maybret had been in the habit of bullying the previous Master, Master Barlis; and he gaped, literally not understanding what Isimy meant.

"Forgotten? Forgotten what?" he said rudely.

"My rank; and your manners" said Isimy coldly "You may apologise."

Maybret swallowed and flushed a dull, angry crimson.

"I'm sorry – Master" he said tightly "PLEASE will you enlighten me about what you meant by a dragonman coming?"

"Oh the boy is transferring elsewhere" said Isimy "It will be better for his health I think; and good for a boy to have a time away from his mother."

Maybret glanced at him quickly.

Did he know?

Surely he could not – he had scarcely arrived here!

And yet….

That little tyke Journeyman Alaran had set punishment – had he got it out of Kellassa?

He nodded curtly.

"Thank you so much for telling me Master!"

The excessive courtesy as a back handed insult was all he dared towards this big, immovable, stern Master!

wWwWw

Kaybez joined Alaran leaving the room.

"You're actually not afraid of him, are you?"

Alaran looked surprised.

"Why the fardles should I be? I could lick him if it got physical. Which of course is, if not forbidden, seriously frowned upon; though it does happen. And I'm cleverer than him by far. He has no authority over me."

"No-one will dare back you if he goes for you."

"I will" said Margand "As if he needed it anyway. You wouldn't?"

"I – yes I will" said Kaybez "Hagel might now his boy's at Lemos – though he has a daughter too, and Hagel said she's to be an apprentice!"

"That sawdust brain better not do anything that could be construed as improper to a girl" said Alaran "If he does, we have him. Stripped of knots and dismissed the Hall!"

Kaybez brightened.

"Really?"

"And we don't want it to happen that way" said Alaran firmly "Not to a little girl. She'd better be excused saw work as too heavy."

"Cor, I'd like to hear Elissa or Tahnee or Sadvia hear you say that! Or even Kisra!" said Margand, wincing.

Alaran grinned.

"How 'bout 'until her muscles are better developed because of the physical differences between boys and girls'?" he suggested "Aren't many girls who can toss a bag of firestone from the ground to a mounted Bronze Rider like our Elissa can – or half a length straight up to a swooping Blue Rider for that matter."

"Weyrbred girl" Margand explained to Kaybez "Helps replenish the riders over Lemos, from the Hall firestone."

"Er, yes" said Kaybez "What's your plan for Maybret?"

Alaran grinned.

"If all else fails let him insult a girl apprentice who also happens to be an Impressed Rider from High Reaches Weyr; as they have an extensive woodcraft hall there; but essentially be thoroughly reasonable until he loses it" he said "Angry men make mistakes remember. I'm hoping he makes a serious enough one to be expelled the craft for; like pulling steel on me for being polite to him. Or at least, enough of a mistake that allows me to hang one on him so he's scareder of me than the rest of you are of him."

"Alaran's champion wrestler at Lemos Wood Hall" said Margand "And what's more if there's a dirty trick in fighting he doesn't know it's because it doesn't work."

Alaran grinned.

"It's childish to settle disputes by fighting" he said "But then, childish kind of typifies this hall. And I think that bullying is the only language that fellow knows. Heh, I'd not be in his shoes if he bullies our three seniors just for existing. Those three have forgotten more about ragging bullying masters than most people ever learn."

"Is that why you brought them?" asked Kaybez.

"One reason" said Alaran "They're also good hard workers and decent to the kids. You so will see a different standard of work from them than you're used to, if Birgil is any true example of a senior apprentice!"

"Birgil is very good!" protested Kaybez.

"No" said Alaran. "Birgil is at a level – in most things – of my twelve turn old cousin; except in those fields she surpasses him" he added scathingly "Manners being only one."

Kaybez looked horrified.

"Are – are we truly so bad?"

"'Fraid so, old man – that one's a term of affection; I save 'old boy' for those I either dislike or like well enough to rag gently – and we really ARE here to bring the Hall back up to standard. Only jointcrafting comes CLOSE!"

Kaybez flushed.

"I can't teach with a riot in my class. The ones that do anything…. I tend to think they're doing well."

Alaran nodded.

"Understood. Ask Master Isimy for help from a senior apprentice; Bierel's very good in finishing, Master Tirris lets him mix Blue."

"That IS impressive! Very well, I'll do as you suggest!"

"Oh, why weren't YOU allowed to mix blue before you made Journeyman?" asked Margand innocently.

Alaran burned scarlet and gave a rueful smile

"Because it came out brilliant green the only time I ever tried" he said "As well you know – old boy!"

Margand laughed.

"No secrets between DECENT journeymen" he said.

"It's difficult to mix, Journeyman Alaran" said Kaybez "And you DO have another, VERY technical speciality."

Alaran grinned cheerfully.

"We all have out strengths and weaknesses" he said.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

"Hey! Wherry face!"

"Yah – you've a wherry face!"

Kamar stopped.

"Are you two cheeky brats addressing me?" he said.

"Yeah we are – wherry face" said the one Kamar knew by description as Banessan.

"Dear me. How singularly unimaginative you are" said Kamar "Must be why you're not senior apprentices at your age like I am. Tell me, as you have obviously got wherry brains, how do you stink – er, think?"

"Get him" said Banessan.

He and Horslas rushed in.

Kamar had been accused at times of fighting like a girl; and when outnumbered two to one by bigger boys than him he was glad that he could.

Horslas howled when Kamar clamped his teeth round his wrist; and Banessan let out a thin falsetto scream as a hand strengthened by sawing crushed into his testicles.

Kamar let go of Horslas long enough to smash the back of his head up into the other boy's face; and went, whistling, on his way, leaving Horslas groggy and Banessan clutching himself and retching.

Life was sweet.

wWwWw

Hagel's daughter Haella was a skinny child of about thirteen with an open, friendly face and eyes bright with curiosity and eagerness to learn.

Hagel was a trifle less eager.

"Delicate looking child" rumbled Isimy "I'd say, Hagel, she should be excused saw work if you didn't mind. She can catch up with that when she's far enough on to transfer to Lemos, hmm?"

Hagel's expression brightened.

"THANK you Master!" he said.

"Can't have my journeymen worrying about the health of their offspring and upsetting their work" said Isimy without batting an eyelid.

"Is that because the saw Journeyman is an unmitigated bully an' a creep sir?" asked Haella.

Hagel burned.

"Careless talk is more forgivable when you did not expect her to be an apprentice" said Isimy "Young lady, I suggest that you learn that a wise man once said that he has often regretted having spoken but never regretted staying silent!"

She beamed at him silently.

"You should not repeat anything I have said" said Hagel "I would not have spoken so in front of you had I expected you to be an apprentice."

"I'll assign Senior Apprentice Sarney to sit by her and bring her on" said Isimy "If she is accidentally indiscreet in her talk with him he'll tell her so and won't spread anything. She'll be with the youngest for now because of having missed a turn or two but she'll soon catch up" he smiled at the girl "You'll probably be amazed at how much of the craft you've just absorbed watching your father work, apprentice."

"I hope so sir" said Haella.

"I would also" said Isimy "Think that it would be well if she continued to live, Hagel, under your roof with your wife as we have no girls' dorm yet; and it's no fun on your own anyway. If we get more girls on the Turnover Intake that's a different matter; and she will then be head of dormitory for her seniority."

"Thank you Master" said Hagel seriously. He knew well enough that if she had a room on her own anywhere near where the other apprentices slept it would only be a matter of time before Banessan and Horslas found it and started bullying her, even if she was too young for them to force sexual attentions on.

"Very well, apprentice; wait outside my room; Sarney will be along shortly to take you around" said Isimy.

wWwWw

The tall, well made blonde boy with senior tassels smiled at the little girl.

"Haella? I'm Sarney. Master Isimy asked me to catch you up with work and to show you about."

"Won't – won't you lose out on your own lessons sir?" asked Haella.

"Now for starters, I don't rank a 'sir' yet! I have no expectation of being made Journeyman for at least another turn! As to my lessons, I've seen nothing that the biggest boys are doing here that I haven't covered long since; you'll know from your father, I'm sure, though it's not done to talk about it, that this place has something of a blight upon it – and your brother not properly prepared for Lemos if he hoped for Journeyman's knots. He's well behind me I'm afraid!"

She nodded.

"Father was very upset" she said "He – he thought that there was no more that Birgel could learn here."

"Huh, that's Faranth's own truth" said Sarney "But the Journeymen here will buck up with proper backing from a strong master, you know! Bullies are aw'f'ly soul destroying, and where there's a bully, all it takes is for good men to stay silent for them to get the upper hand you know!"

"But sir – uh, Sarney, Master Isimy said a wise man doesn't regret staying silent but does regret speaking out!" said Haella "I'm confused now."

"What he meant was about hasty speech" said Sarney "If you open your mouth and swallow foot up to knee, it's kind of bad. If you have considered and think that a matter must be raised, like bullying of smaller ones, then you must raise it – with your peer group. Unless someone is actually being put in danger, telling tales is not on, but you can talk with other apprentices – and for that matter one of us three seniors – and try to work out strategies. You see, the Harpers tried to give warning; if more people had listened to Master Robinton about Fax instead of vacillating like overripe red-fruit, putting their heads into gontermorrer holes pretending to hibernate their brains because they didn't like to believe ill of the Blood, he'd never have been such a problem. And if Journeymen don't stand up to bullying Journeymen or Masters to bullying Masters or apprentices to bullying apprentices, then the bully wins. And the more often he wins, the more he bullies and the more people think he's unbeatable. ALL bullies can be beaten you know" said Sarney, earnestly "If only people work together."

"You know about…."

"No names" said Sarney "Are you excused saw work to protect your father?"

"Yes. I thought it was to protect me."

"It comes to the same thing. But it's easier to suffer for yourself simmering in resentment than to watch someone you love suffering, you know! YOU'd stick it out for stubborn grit I bet, if you had to – I like the cut of your chin, it has determination – but your father would be torn between love of you and duty. And it ain't fair to do that to a man, you know!"

"I s'pose not" she nodded. "I think I like Master Isimy; he's big and loud and a bit scary but he has kind eyes."

"He's one of the best" said Sarney "I started late, like you, and my mother prepared me – she's a journeyman – and I had trouble from a bullying master; and Isimy caught me crying and he told me NEVER to let the bully see I cared; and helped me deal with it for myself."

"There are bullying masters at Lemos?"

"Not any more. He was hard to get rid of you see, like certain other people, for being the only one so skilled in a particular craft; but he went beyond sarcasm and slightly heavy punishments and got demoted to Journeyman; not teaching either. But he was still….causing problems, so he was subsequently sent to a Minehold in the middle of nowhere" he grinned "It's harder to get rid of Masters or Journeymen who have a craft you need and no replacement; but we'll survive. And even as Master Gerney beat seven sirens out of – that other master – for picking on Gerney's fosterling, reckon one of our two new Journeymen could whop sawdust out of anyone who got nasty. And I never told you that! Here's Journeyman Manon's wheelwrighting class" he added, knocking and going in to the craftshop. "Journeyman, excuse me, I'm showing a new apprentice around; I'm afraid I can't tell her much about wood bending, for I've no experience. I'm looking forward to squeezing extra classes of yours in between tutoring her on" he looked around with interest.

Manon shot him a look; and decided the boy was genuine. The obvious fascination on his face was no simulation.

The boys in here were those who had come, Sarney thought, the previous turn; and there were only four of them.

"The boys here are undertaking their own projects with bent wood at the moment" said Manon "The class is called wheelwrighting but I teach wood bending for various purposes; rocking chairs for example, as you can see Tavald engaged upon."

"It's for an old Auntie at my Hold; she says nothing ever eases her bones so I thought a rocker might help."

"That's good thinking, lad" said Sarney "And you might want to think about a rush woven seat too for ease; if you don't know how, you could ask if any of the Journeymen's wives know how. H'llon used steamed bent wood for the spring in them to make wheeled chairs – his friend L'gani taught him, I've been told as he never did the wood bending course at Lemos – so it's a very useful skill. I REALLY look forward to learning."

"You're free with dragonrider names, apprentice" said Manon.

Sarney looked surprised.

"Oh, but H'llon is weyrwoodcrafter and comes often to Lemos; he's master Isimy's nephew, you know. And my second cousin about forty times removed if you care to dig it out of the precise lineage but it's distant enough I don't bother" he beamed.

The Master's relations in the Weyr would soon spread; trust thirteen-turn-old boys for THAT! And it would do Isimy's reputation no harm either!

"Is he the Bronze Rider Journeyman who came and shouted a lot at the previous Master for not caring for a Journeyman's widow and child?" demanded Tavald.

"H'llon's blunt so I'd not be surprised" said Sarney "And I wonder what Journeyman Manon has to say to you, you repellent scrub, for eavesdropping on a Master's business and then reporting it in the hearing of a Journeyman so cheekily?"

Manon looked surprised.

These new seniors obviously had orders to back the authority of ANY Master then, even an idiot like Barlis.

"I was going to save him the embarrassment of being bawled out in front of a little girl until you had gone on" he said hastily "Tavald, after class in your free time you will write 'I will show respect to Masters' twenty times in the sand tray."

"And serve you right for being indiscreet" said Sarney gravely; but with a smile.

If Tavald had any brains – and he looked a bright boy – he'd soon pick up that it was not the eavesdropping but the way of repeating what he had heard with no regard to who was listening that was the fault.

Tavald grinned unrepentantly.

He had the message.

wWwWw

Next Sarney and Haella visited Journeyman Caim, making paper with the senior apprentices; and Sarney was as respectful, introducing a new apprentice he was showing around.

Journeyman Caim smiled vaguely.

"It'll be nice to have a few female apprentices" he said "Nimble fingers; quieter too."

One of the seniors eyed Haella up; decided she was just a little girl; and lost interest. Kamar and Bierel had joined this class and were busy showing up the others by the speed with which they worked and the even fineness of their sheets.

"We were talking to Journeyman Caim about using the river's power to agitate the pulp" said Bierel. "There's more apprentices back in Lemos, more hand power that's then sufficient; but it's harder to pulp with fewer!"

"It's good to learn new er, innovation" said Caim "I must say, taking the water from the cooked river grains we had at lunch to add is an idea I'd not come across."

"It gives a good surface and a nice crackle" said Sarney, as though explaining to Haella "Paper making is fun; you'll enjoy it. Some of the girls at Lemos have been putting lace or leaves on couching cloths to leave a pattern so they can charge frivolous Holdergirls more for it, for no extra effort really."

Haella giggled.

"Won't it make it harder to write on?"

"And that's why you're a crafter, not a makeweight" said Sarney.

The older boys might not much like being shown up by Kamar and Bierel: but Journeyman Caim was positively bubbling at having new ideas for his craft!

wWwWw

The mid afternoon break was called; and Sarney showed Haella where the necessaries were.

"No girls' ones as yet; you'll have to live with that I'm afraid" he said "Find a friend to watch the door; I'll do it this time but it would be more proper if it were a little boy."

Haella was glad of the opportunity – and Sarney's practicality. She had been uncomfortable for a while!

wWwWw

After the break Sarney took the little girl to the cot at a distance from the main hall, filled with often noxious fumes, being the workshop of Journeyman Finisher Jaybez. He had three boys working there; for the older middles were split in two for classes. Two of them seemed to be getting down to their work, the other staring into the middle distance. As Jaybez turned to see the new arrivals, one of the more industrious apprentices, a cheerful looking lad, took advantage of his distraction to lean quickly over and deftly pin something to the back of the idling one. Haella, looking at him, opened her mouth to ask a question; and Sarney stood on her foot.

"Oh Journeyman Jaybez, Haella will be a new apprentice" he said hastily before she could ask questions "I'm to show her around, and help her to catch up to save the Journeymen trouble. I'm not so great at finishes and varnishing though – Bierel's our top man – so I may have to ask advice sometimes; will that be all right?"

"So long as you have sensible questions to ask, boy, I'll always be glad to answer" said Kaybez. "Zaygan, whatever you pinned on Agenden's back, take it off and bring it here."

The cheerful looking boy pulled a rueful face, but did as he was told. Kaybez read it.

"'I'm lazy, poke me!' a just comment on Agenden, Zaygan, but not really yours to make. As you have time to waste writing messages, you may return after classes to help me mix varnish."

"Yes Journeyman" said Zaygan.

The Journeyman turned his attention back to the visitors to his class.

"What have you covered, senior apprentice?" he asked.

"Waxes, colouring waxes, making polish, three types of varnish for different uses including skybroom resin varnish for Thread resistance, basic dyes, not yet permitted to run loose with blue" said Sarney glibly "Also veneer cutting, and curing of wood; if you cover that. Master Tirris does in Lemos but I wondered if that had been the province of Master Barlis?"

"It was, but I'm covering the doing of it now" said Kaybez "I learned from Master Tirris after all. It's not in any case a taught subject at the moment and was only ever theory before, under timbercraft theory."

"No problem" said Sarney "If you need a hand I can help you; Bierel and Kamar will too, I'm sure sir."

Kaybez nodded.

"Thank you; it is a necessary part of our craft" he said "Meanwhile you may start the new apprentice on the components of waxes and on making carnauba wax. I'll revise the first turners when they have their next class; she can hear it for the first time."

"Thank you sir" said Haella.

wWwWw

The youngest were currently with Journeyman Veller, the free carver; and they were tending to run amok rather. They seemed to be enjoying themselves; but they were doing so at the top of their young lungs and consequently rather lacking in application.

Sarney started to introduce himself and Haella, winced, and said,

"Do you mind if I shut them up, sir?"

"Be my guest – if you can" said Veller, gloomily.

Sarney picked up the chalk and squeaked it horribly on the large slate board for drawing out patterns.

There was a collective wince and a moment's shocked silence.

"Fine lot you are" said Sarney "Were you born without manners or did it take all your short lives to lose them? How the fardling shards do you expect your Journeyman to have a conversation with visitors when you lot are making like green firelizards on heat? Your prospective new classmate here is going to wonder if she's not joining a class but being herded into a sty with eight squealing porcines! Now keep it down!"

They lapsed into silence, a mixture of hurt, subdued and interest.

Sarney duly introduced Haella and explained how he would be bringing her on.

"As this bunch seems to give more time to chattering like fishwives than to applying themselves she'll easily soon catch up in all classes" he added pointedly "For they look like a lazy bunch and quite backward. Well, if they choose, Journeyman, to fritter your and the other Journeymen's words of wisdom it's their loss and no skin off your nose, sir to earn your marks without having to do a stoke of work for it" hearat he winked at Veller who looked startled, then gave a shy grin. Sarney went on, " It'll be easy, Haella; take you six sevendays to catch up their nine months."

The silence was decidedly injured; he had called them green firelizards, porcines, fishwives and useless not to mention irrelevant to the Journeyman , all within the space of five minutes. They had not been privy to the wink Sarney had given Veller!

The carving journeyman was working not to actually laugh; keeping order was a serious problem for him, even with relatively harmless boys like these and any help was gratefully received, especially from a youth who was making his respect for the Journeyman's rank obvious!

wWwWw

The final class contained the two main bullies, working under Journeyman Hagel.

Sarney introduced Haella in exactly the same way as he had in other classes; catching Hagel's eye as the man opened his mouth to claim knowledge of her. Hagel shut his mouth.

Haella had her other foot stood on as she was about to greet him.

There were four boys here; one of them cutting dovetails happily wrapped in a world of his own; one decidedly depressed looking, and the two bullies who were sulking and refusing to do any work. Banessan still looked pale and Horslas favoured his wrist and had a black eye.

Sarney looked at them; and grinned. He could guess what had happened!

"I shall be helping Haella to catch up" said Sarney "You won't find she has to join a class of slow learners such as these boys here."

"Here!" said Horslas "We ain't slow learners!"

Sarney looked at the badly made joint in front of the boy and slowly raised an eyebrow.

"Dim too that they not even recognise their incompetence that a first year in Lemos would be ashamed of!" he said "Your patience is remarkable, Journeyman Hagel; I am impressed!" he bowed and hastened Haella out, largely so he could let out the chuckle over the look on the faces of Banessan and Horslas over his assessment of their work!


	5. Chapter 5

_Thanks as always to Queen of the Jungle for reviewing; the review reply is now up again but it only lets me reply to people who allow private messaging, so I'll have to say thanks this way... which I do. Glad you're enjoying the sorting out! thanks to everyone reading too._

**Chapter 5**

"Why did you keep standing on my foot?" asked Haella with faint reproach.

"Because you open your mouth without thinking of the consequences of your words, kiddo" said Sarney "First time, asking what the boy was doing, that would have been sneaking because it was obviously illicit; and therefore obviously a prank. No flies on Journeyman Kaybez; he saw – or guessed – anyway. Second time, if you claim Hagel as your father, especially in front of the two biggest bullies in the Hall, you might as well wear a sign saying 'bully me please'; and even the little ones are likely to tease you as Journeyman's pet, or some might suck up to you in hopes of favours from your father. This ain't a decent honourable place like Lemos you know, where everyone knows the masters are tougher on their own offspring!"

Haella had much to ponder!

wWwWw

Sarney had been expecting to be jumped by Horslas and Banessan at some point; but not while he still had the kid with him!

Horslas leaped on him from behind, getting an arm about his neck; Banessan gabbed Haella.

"Now you can watch your girlfriend squeal!" gloated Banessan.

"What do I care? No skin off my nose, I was just told to show her around" Sarney shrugged casually; and managed to use it to shift Horslas' arm without the boy realising what he was up to.

All the logicators had taken lessons in wrestling and self defence and took it very seriously; they knew what desperate people they might one day have to tackle.

Horslas was NOT prepared to go flying over his supposed victim's head and land, half stunned, on the ground.

Banessan was twisting Haella's arm at the time and stopped to gape.

"I'll teach you that one, kiddo" said Sarney, cheerfully, seizing Banessan by the nose.

The bully involuntarily let go of the little girl to put his hands to his twisted proboscis.

"Are you going to leave me alone for ever more?" asked Sarney, twisting harder.

"YED! LED GO BY DOSE!"

"And the girl too?"

"Yed!"

"And my friends? Not that they need much help – Haella if it gets up, kick it" he added, seeing movement from Horslas.

"Yed!" Banesson was willing to agree.

"Good; beat it!" said Sarney, letting go.

Horslas was now holding one knee, howling; Haella had taken Sarney at his word.

"Good kid" said Sarney "Had to pretend indifference to you or they'd have hurt you more."

She nodded.

"I guessed" she said "My arm hurts."

"Numbweed" said Sarney. "Doesn't hurt as much as his nose does; I made sure of THAT!"

Of such things are heroes made.

Sarney had protected her against bullies – and had respected her ability to cope too! Haella thought Sarney the most wonderful man alive!

wWwWw

Journeyman Maybret strode up to the senior's supper table.

"Did you attack apprentice Banessan, boy?" he demanded of Sarney.

"Attack? No sir" said Sarney "I defended myself and a new female apprentice against attack from him and apprentice Horslas."

"I attacked them both earlier, sir!" spoke up Kamar "Because I wanted to get my retaliation in first, as they had only spoken intent to attack me. It was me that blacked Horslas' eye, sir."

"You'll be on the bottom of the saw for a sevenday each for fighting" growled Maybret.

"Yes sir. Thank you for you just correction sir" said Kamar cheerfully.

"I acknowledge that it is a fault to defend a girl's honour and my own skin" said Sarney loudly.

There was laughter from some of the other apprentice tables and Maybret went puce.

"How DARE you be so cheeky?" he roared.

"Sir? I don't understand?" said Sarney, his eyes limpid pools of innocence "You are punishing me for defending myself and the little girl, so it must be a fault to do so. It seems strange, but you are the Journeyman and I must respect you discipline, sir!"

Isimy got up; the whole eating hall was listening.

"Haella, what happened? Let us clear this matter up in the interests of justice; it is not sneaking in this instance."

Haella stood.

"Sir, two big boys jumped out from behind us while Senior Apprentice Sarney showed me to the eating hall. One of them put an arm round the senior apprentice's neck and the other one grabbed me and twisted my arm and said he was going to make me squeal. He didn't either" she added proudly "I don't know quite how it happened, but the boy holding Sarrney flew though the air and Sarney grabbed the nose of the one that looks like a dimwitted porcine and made him let go of me and made him promise to let me alone and him and his friends. And the other one was going to jump Sarney again so I booted him in the knee. Aren't we allowed to fight back then, sir, if people attack us and doesn't that contravene the Charter?"

"You assuredly are allowed to fight back as the Charter indeed gives you autonomy over your own body and safety" said Isimy "And perhaps it might not be a bad idea to have a Harper in so that other ill-educated big boys know the Charter and how it affects them too. Maybret, you appear to have been told lies; two boys on one lad and a maid; NOT one lad attacked by the senior one. I'd think Horslas wouldn't want to confess to being bested by a maid! Sarney, you acted correctly, but you will be restrained if you please; that throw can be dangerous. Apologise to Horslas for not hurting him more gently."

Sarney rose.

"Horslas, I'm so sorry to hurt you, I forget that people here are so fragile; I do apologise, old boy."

Alaran grinned.

THAT appellation was spreading.

Isimy nodded.

"I think making a senior apologise to a junior in public is punishment enough for his excess zeal, don't you. Maybret?" he smiled pleasantly "As Kamar has admitted to getting his retaliation in first, his punishment naturally stands. There is no excuse for any boy to pick on two weaker boys like that and making game of their afflictions!"

Kamar stood a good head shorter than Horslas and a head and a half shorter than Banessan.

Mirth was widespread.

Maybret could do nothing but grind his teeth; the Master had after all backed the punishment even though he had managed to make his two favourites and by extension himself ridiculous for it! All he could do would be to make sure the Master's ugly little favourite had as unpleasant a time as possible.

Kamar did not care one jot.

He knew he was cleverer than Maybret and could make his punishment more humiliating for the journeymen than for himself; for Maybret would insist on taking the top of the saw. If you knew how the pressure worked, you could cause no end of troubles for the man at the top; and maybe even make him lose balance and fall in the pit!

Kamar had been legitimately on punishment in the saw pit for Master Challer regularly enough for cheek and had evolved ways to make life difficult if one of his enemies had been on the other end – NOT something Challer did on purpose but inevitably it happened sometimes.

The smallest boys took Haella to their hearts for fighting back against so notorious a bully; and linked arms with her leaving the table, singing:

"Poor poor Horslas, what's he going to do

Beaten up by a maiden and trampled by her shoe!"

Horslas was FURIOUS!

wWwWw

Alaran and Margand had spent the afternoon at Three-Woods Hold speaking to the Hold masons, and negotiating their aid to build an extension to the Hall for new workshops; and had missed witnessing all the excitement, having been offered hospitality at the Hall. They soon heard about it however on their return!

Alaran decided that prowling around the dormitories after cover-glows was not such a bad idea.

His diligence was rewarded, even if he might have preferred to have been shown unduly paranoid.

From the junior dormitory a shrill voice said,

"You can't make us, Horslas, and the other fellows won't let you!"

"You two will fight – then the rest in pairs – or we'll beat you!" growled Horslas' voice "How dare you disrespect me?"

"Yah, you haven't earned respect!" said another voice.

Alaran pushed open the door at this point.

Two little boys were trussed around poles thrust under their bent knees, and Horslas and Banaessan stood over them with rope ends.

"Apprentice Horslas – Apprentice Banessan – come here" said Alaran sharply.

The bullies straightened in horror.

"You can't do nothing more to us" said Horslas sneeringly "Old Hagel already extended our water rations to two sevendays, and it ain't legal for more than fifteen days."

"I was not intending to be that lenient for this kind of thing" said Alaran coldly "And your disrespect of JOURNEYMAN Hagel is also noted. Go to your dormitory; and report to me before breakfast to hear what punishment I shall set you. Well MOVE!" as they dithered.

The bigger boys slouched out; and Alaran watched them down the corridor.

Two of the other boys were untying the trussed ones – one of them Siffio – and they rubbed their cramped limbs.

"You stood together to defy them; well done" said Alaran quietly.

"If they'd started hitting them we'd've jumped them!" said one lad excitedly.

Alaran let a slight smile touch his mouth.

"A fellow apprentice would applaud that" he said "A Journeyman cannot, of course, comment."

"Coo, you are a sport sir!"

"Well, thank you for thinking so; now go back to bed and go to sleep before I have to punish you for breaking cover-glow" said Alaran.

They slipped readily under the blankets.

"Good night sir" said Deaky.

"Good night – and shut up!" said Alaran, leaving them.

He positioned himself to check the bullies did not come back; and satisfied they were not going to, went to bed himself.

wWwWwWw

There was no visit to his room from the two bullies in the morning.

Alaran frowned. Just who did they think they were? If they'd been Ranking brats, such indiscipline might have been expected, but judging by their bullying of the boy Siffio on grounds of the boy's own Rank they were anything but!

Accordingly, when all were assembled for breakfast, and the two bullies smirking, because they had defied him, he stood up and said in stentorian voice,

"Apprentices Horslas and Banessan, come here!"

They looked at Journeyman Maybret.

"There is a conspiracy against these two boys, Master!" said the Jourrneyman.

"A conspiracy? You mean the new apprentice MADE them attack her? What have they done, Alaran? YOU BOYS MOVE!" as Horslas and Banessan hovered, uncertain whether to obey Alaran or not "YOU HAVE BEEN GIVEN A LEGITIMATE DIRECT ORDER BY A JOURNEYMAN! OBEDIENCE IS NOT OPTIONAL!"

"I caught these two boys in the junior dormitory having trussed up two boys to wherry-fight: holding rope ends to beat the boys if they would not" said Alaran.

"I see. Had you thought of a punishment?" asked Isimy.

"Yes sir" said Alaran, serenely.

"Very good; carry on" said Isimy.

"What were you doing going into the younger boys' dormitory yourself, Journeyman?" demanded Maybret.

"Looking for trouble, of course" said Alaran "Having heard noises. I went to investigate; as any responsible Journeyman must. One of the boys might have been ill. The voices as I grew nearer told me otherwise. That's all, old boy."

It was a slight stretching of the truth; he heard no noises in his own room but he had been out looking for trouble. One might say, however, thought Alaran consoling himself with casuistry, that he HAD heard noises – the grinding of Horslas' teeth after supper."

The boys stood sullenly at the Master's table.

"First, why did you not report to me first thing in the morning as I told you to last night?" Alaran asked sharply.

They exchanged looks.

"We er…we thought you might have cooled down in the morning" muttered Horslas.

"Cooled down? I was not heated last night. Disgusted, yes; but I do not anger myself over stupid little boys" said Alaran. "Well, for your disrespect and stupidity in failing to obey my initial summons you have landed yourselves instead with the shame of being bawled out in front of the whole Hall including the boys you were attempting to torture. THAT was your choice; so you'll have to live with losing even more of their tenuous respect. You two have evidently not got enough to occupy you outside of lessons; since you do not appear to occupy yourselves within lessons either, I'd say you have too much surplus energy. So, during your leisure hours – ALL your leisure hours – for the next three sevendays you may help the craft by collecting rock for the masons to extend the crafthall. That will be an hour before breakfast, as you have no pre-breakfast lessons here as we do at Lemos, an hour after lunch, and three hours in the evening. And all day on the seventhday of course, save for the four hours you are cleaning necessaries already on this coming seventhday."

They goggled; and glanced at Maybret, who looked helpless.

"Isn't that rather harsh, Master Isimy?" the sawyer tried.

"I'd have said it was fairly lenient myself" rumbled Isimy "I'll modify their water diet though; they shall have dripping to go with their dry bread and an apple with each meal to go with their hard physical labour."

"Shall I tell Kellassa, Master?" asked Alaran.

"No, I'll see her" said Isimy "Then she knows for certain that the order comes from me and does not suspect you of countermanding Journeyman Hagel's additional punishment. You two boys – if I hear about EITHER of you ever again in a disciplinary matter, that boy is out of the craft. Do you understand?"

"Yes Master" muttered Horslas.

"It isn't FAIR!" burst out Banessan "NOBODY has ever treated us like this before!"

Isimy regarded him coldly.

"Maybe that is why the pair of you are so conspicuous in your need for discipline now that discipline exists here" he said "I asked you a question; do you understand, Banessan?"

Horslas kicked his companion on the ankle.

"Yes Master" muttered Banessan.

"Good" said Isimy "Get back to your table; the rest of us are sick of waiting on you naughty little boys to start our breakfast."

As the two thought of themselves as young men that smarted more than anything else!

wWwWw

Maybret waited until they had gone.

"What have you incomers got against these boys?" he asked.

"How about the fact of them being unfit to live with decent human beings old boy?" Margand got in ahead of Alaran.

"They are rude, disrespectful, unmanly, as well as egregious bullies; the work of theirs I have seen when looking over classes would disgrace a ten-turn-old who has been at the Hall a few sevendays; and they do not wash very thoroughly" said Alaran "Any single one of these faults would be cause for concern; but the unseemly concatenation of all in each boy is as good a reason as any to consider them in need of correction if they are to have any hope of being crafters."

"They're never disrespectful to me!" said Maybret.

"But old boy!" Alaran elevated his eyebrows in a surprised manner "Do you understand enough about respect to recognise its presence – or absence?"

Maybret flushed.

"How DARE you!"

"I dare because I see you attempting to undermine the discipline of other journeymen; and respect is due to the knots, whatever your personal feelings. I think your discipline – and therefore your respect for the craft – stinks because you have favourites. But I'd not say so in front of a boy you had just punished. That isn't done. But in front of those two, you ask if I am too harsh; AND you tried to put a smutty connotation on my visit to the boy's dorm – which makes me wonder if you've leanings to that yourself for even thinking of it. You are, old boy, a regular disgrace to your knots, and your obvious favouritism to those two makes you a laughing stock amongst the other boys without anyone needing to point out your manifold deficiencies in front of them; for you yourself by your actions and words say 'I'm a stupid wherry;."

Maybret raised an angry hand, rising to his feet.

"Oh yes please; do strike me in public" said Alaran, biting into sweet bread and conserve "Then we can legitimately strip you of your knots. I do SO appreciate your intelligence old boy!"

Maybret sat down muttering.

"Alaran did you HAVE to warn him?" said Margand.

"Some of us are concerned about the disgrace to the Hall if he acts so publicly" said Alaran.

Isimy was watching the sawyer with a flinty face.

Maybret was not having a good morning.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

The seniors had the first class at the sawmill; and it was plain that Maybret was in a towering temper.

He looked at Bierel and Kamar, the new seniors; and Kamar's squashed but good-humoured features fuelled his fury.

"You – Wherry-face!" he grabbed Kamar's arm.

"Excuse me, Journeyman, making unnecessary personal remarks about looks or disabilities is not considered good form and is covered in the section on bullying in the Charter" said Bierel.

"You'll be next, pretty boy!" snarled Maybret, heaving Kamar into the sawmill.

The other seniors followed.

"You admit to me that there's a conspiracy against me and those so-called Journeymen are no such thing!" he snarled.

"How can I admit what is not true, sir?" said Kamar, scorning to wince at the twisted arm "I know of no conspiracy. And Journeymen Alaran and Margand were made up before we were sent here; by Master Bendarek. He IS the Master Woodcrafter so his postings are quite legal. Master Isimy picked them from among the other journeymen. Please sir, are we going to get to work?"

Maybret shook him.

"Not until you admit it!" cried Maybret, a trifle hysterically.

Bierel turned to Rillen.

"This could get ugly – I think you should fetch the Master" he murmured quietly.

"Is – isn't that sneaking?"

"Grow up! Do you believe he WON'T hurt Kamar badly?"

Rillen swallowed and ran off, sliding out of the mill while Maybret glowered at Kamar. He was pushing the boy close to the saw, buzzing freely as it was without any wood to put through it.

"Admit it!" he said.

"I'll not tell lies to please you sir" said Kamar. He gasped in pain as Maybret pushed his face against the spinning saw, burning it with the friction.

"Admit it! I know your face is ugly enough it'd be a kindness to burn it off – but it'll hurt!"

"I admit nothing! You are, with due respect, journeyman, out of line and breaking the Charter!"

"So! How much do you value your hands then?" the crazed journeyman grabbed the boy's arms and started advancing them towards the saw.

Bierel cleared the great sawbench with one bound and knocked the lever to disconnect the saw wheel from the great waterwheel and its cogs; and slowly, gradually, the saw blade started spinning down.

Maybret threw Kamar from him, and the boy screamed as the still moving saw sliced into his leg. The Journeyman advanced on Bierel.

"YOU!" he cried "It IS a conspiracy!"

"Be reasonable, Journeyman, I stopped you lopping off an apprentice's hands" said Bierel "You'd have been fined to ruination for that, if not executed! One of you go to Kamar – he's hurt, another one run for a healer."

"Stay where you are, all of you!" ground out Maybret "I don't care how bad the ugly little twat is hurt!"

"I, however, do" Isimy boomed as he came in "Bieret,. Look to Kamar, one of you to a healer."

"I – I'm alright… it hurts!" gasped Kamar, holding the ragged gash on his leg. The wheel had been slow enough not to cut to the bone, but it was ugly.

"Master, he needs the Healers to sew the muscle or he may never walk straight again" said Bierel.

"Rillen, run and beg the services of the Hall dragon" said Isimy "Our healers are not competent."

"He was larking about – serve him right" said Maybret.

"How DARE you lie to me, you nasty little bully?" said Isimy "I know what you were doing" he reached over and ripped Maybret's knots from his shoulder "I'll have that ratified in writing by noon by Master Bendarek!" he added. "Go to your room; you are entitled to a full hearing of Masters, and if you demand one you will want to prepare your defence" he turned on his heel to go over to Kamar, bending to lift him.

"MASTER!"

Bierel hurdled the saw bed for the second time as Maybret drew blade to attack Isimy.

Only one of the other seniors helped him – Rillen being away to the Hold – a boy called Kemmorn.

Bierel sat on Maybret.

"String" he said.

The other boy passed rope used to tie planks together; and Bierel tied the journeyman up.

"Thank you Bierel" said Isimy "I believe this matter now goes beyond a Masters' conclave and into the lap of Lady Holder Thalara."

The dragonman came in.

"Injured boy? Mucking about I suppose?"

"You suppose wrongly as it happens, Green Rider; he was attacked" said Isimy "It's an open wound, but he's losing blood faster than I like and it's a nasty cut – I think risking _Between_ to the Healer Hall is justified."

Greenrider Tr'vor nodded as he glanced at the wound.

"I concur, Master" he said "Can you lift him up to me on my dragon?"

"Certainly" said Isimy "Bierel, run and ask Lady Thalara most respectfully for some guards to take ….this….into her custody; explain what happened. Tell her I am sorry to wish this onto her, but I have no choice."

Bierel nodded and ran.

wWwWw

Lady Thalara listened to the senior apprentice's story, and fed him klah; because he looked shocked.

"There has been trouble there for a while, hasn't there?" she said "My Headwoman SHOULD have had succour from them."

Bierel nodded.

"Off the record, Lady, this Journeyman was the root of the trouble, controlling the previous Master and all the Journeymen" he said "He resented having a Master he could not bully and people backing the other Journeymen and decided there was a conspiracy against him. He tried to torture my friend Kamar – we both came in from Lemos – and that was what led to him attacking the Master, because when the Master arrived he stripped him of his knots for his actions. It's very sordid" he wrinkled his nose.

Thalara hid a smile at the boy's apologetic manner over the sordidness of the affair.

"Guards will be sent immediately" she clapped her hands and issued orders "I am glad that the mess is being cleaned up; H'llon rumbled about it but the master seemed quite….well, wet."

"He is a good forester, Lady, and a credit to his knots in his chosen field of expertise" said Bierel stiffly.

She nodded.

"Yes, you are right to close ranks against an outsider; and your loyalty to your Craft and Hall does you credit" she said. "I spoke out of turn; and I apologise."

"Lady, no need for apology for holding an opinion" said Bierel "I am glad you realise why I cannot comment on that opinion and must defend my Masters all."

Thalara thought the serious looking boy very sweet!

"I shall hear the facts and pass judgement later this day to get this sorry chapter closed for you" she said "I will hear testimony of everyone who witnessed it; ask them to attend two hours after noon."

"At your command, Lady" said Bierel, bowing.

wWwWw

Bendarek himself flew in, in reply to Isimy's report and request for ratification of removal of Journeyman status from Maybret; D'vind brought him.

"Because he's next thing to being a woodcrafter and I don't want H'llon let loose anywhere near the men who tried to kill one of his favourite uncles" Bendarek explained to Isimy.

Isimy grinned.

"It might have got messy" he said "The boy has less of a temper over injustice and bullying now, but there are limits to his restraint; and there have been times I wanted to pick up Maybret and wring him until his HAIR bled."

Maybret was scared now; and screamed and tried to excuse himself as he was dragged out for the extraordinary assizes.

Thalara said,

"You'll have your say later."

She heard each of the apprentices in turn, those waiting to give evidence kept out of earshot of the others so nobody could say one copied another; and asked for small details to make sure stories corroborated in every fact. Then she took the deposition of Tr'vor over what he had seen. Most of the senior apprentices stumbled through their testimony, scared; one of them tried to flirt with her – the Lady Holder pretended not to notice – and the lad who had helped Bierel jump the former Journeyman gave a concise and full report, adding,

"I think that there was a conspiracy of sorts, but not specifically against J – er, Maybret. I think the Masterwoodcrafter sent people with orders to sort it out. Maybret didn't fall in line with proper practices so he brought being made to look a fool on himself."

"No-one but he himself made him look a fool!" said Bierel, who had already given evidence "He jumped in to save his bullying favourites from punishment without ANY prompting, you know!"

The other lad, Kemmorn, considered.

"That is true; but I believe Journeyman Alaran goaded him too. I do not say I disapprove; but I think he was goaded."

"A wise man does not rise under a goad" said Thalara "Very well, Maybret; it is your turn to speak now."

Maybret presented little in the way of defence but pleaded and whined as bullies are inclined to do when the tables are turned.

The burden of his plea might be extracted as it wasn't fair that he could not run things the way he wanted any more because some jumped up Master thought he was better than him.

Thalara listened with disgust.

"Well it seems plain enough" she said "The disgraceful attack on an apprentice is craft business; and I may not legislate on that. The attack on the Master of a Hall hosted by my hold is a different matter; especially by one who was craftless as Maybret was by then. From the testimony I determine that the knife was intended to be used with deadly force; that it was prevented by the quick-witted and athletic apprentices is neither here nor there. Attacking a craftmaster is a serious matter. This fellow will have to be executed. And the only reason I do not have you chained out in Fall, fellow, is because it might cause distress to the children of your former Hall when they walk sweep as I presume they will begin to do again now this Hall is to be run according to the Charter and according to the agreement with Benden. Captain, take him away and hang him."

Maybret fell to the floor, begging for his life, trying to fawn at her feet.

Thalara looked at him in disgust as the captain jerked him to his feet.

"This way, you" he said laconically.

The captain had a young soldier under him who was skilled at whittling wood who had not gone for apprenticeship for fear of the abuses that whispers spoke of at the Hall; he had no sympathy for the cause of the trouble!

wWwWw

Bierel let an explosive sigh out; and Sarney, who had joined him for the judgement, draped an arm over his shoulders.

"Sir, may we visit Kamar?" he asked.

"I believe he'll be back with us inside a couple of sevendays" said Isimy "But if Tr'vor is willing and you can wheedle his good will, I see no reason why not."

Tr'vor nodded willingness to comply with the request.

"She won't take four of us I guess" said Alaran, glancing at the neat Green dragon. "Not without tiring; you two apprentices go and give him our best wishes. He did good."

The two senior apprentices nodded; and thanked Tr'vor sincerely for his kindness.

wWwWw

Kamar would always have a faint scar on his face; but Master Oldive believed the muscle in his leg would, in time, heal perfectly, providing he rested it well.

"I owe you one" said Kamar to Bierel.

"Wherry teeth" said Bierel "You'd have done the same for me."

Kamar grinned a painful and lopsided grin.

"Perhaps not with as much style!" he said "I hear you hurdled the bench like a racing runner on oats!"

"Yeah, we're putting him up against the favourite Ruathan filly at the next race meeting" said Sarney.

"Fool" said Bierel cheerfully.

wWwWw

On due consideration, Isimy had made the announcement at midday only that Journeyman Maybret had left the Crafthall. There had been subdued cheers and looks of horror from Horslas and Banessan.

Lessons in the afternoon had been a little distracted because of the wildly flying rumours of what had happened; especially when one apprentice had shared the information that two dragons had flown in, a green and later a blue.

Alaran overheard the boy and promptly put him on a water diet for three days for playing hookey to watch dragons when he should have been carving.

Naturally all the Journeymen knew the truth and were not, themselves, concentrating well for wondering what the verdict of Lady Thalara would be.

Isimy told the Journeymen before the evening meal; and gentle Papercrafter Caim was missing from the meal for having been sufficiently sickened by the whole business that he could not eat.

Sarney, who liked him, took the man a bowl of porridge and a mug of klah late that evening, and received a wan smile of thanks and a promise to try to eat. Kellassa would have cooked a three-course feast for one of those she saw as responsible for getting rid of the bullying sawyer, let alone klah and porridge!

Isimy placed both Journeymen and senior boys on their honour to say nothing of the affair; it would not do to upset the younger ones, nor make them run wild for gloating; it would not be good for them or for discipline.

wWwWw

The news was all around the crafthall by the next day; and Isimy was furious. He interviewed the six, asking scathingly what their honour was worth. Bierel and Sarney were horrified that they would act so!

"It's certain it's not careless talk between any of us or the journeymen, sir, rather than broken honour?" asked Sarney "I'd hate to think that the rot was so deep that anyone would be dishonourable."

"It is possible" said Isimy grimly "For this place is lax enough for careless talk. But such carelessness skirts dishonour in not having care about the spreading of the news. Well, I am disappointed; and I have to say that until someone has more to say about the matter, I shall have to treat you all as though you are as irresponsible as those without senior tassels."

Sarney was furious; and said so once they had been dismissed.

"Who could have been so STUPID?" he demanded to the rest.

"Well, the kids would find out sooner or later wouldn't they?" drawled the boy who fancied himself as a ladies' man, Skollin, the one who had tried to flirt with Lady Thalara.

"Maybe; but that's hardly the point, is it?" said Sarney coldly "The Master did not want it getting about while the departure of Maybret was still big news; because it would – and has – acquired greater importance! I had to break up a dance of joy by those little ones, and dancing over any man's execution is disgraceful – however understandable it is. You speak like you don't take your word of honour very seriously Skollin. Was it you?"

Skollin shrugged.

"Oh it was an accident, I assure you! I didn't intentionally let on, only one of the brats asked if Maybret would ever come back and I said something like, not hardly, being dead; and he plagued me so I didn't see the harm."

Sarney gulped.

"You didn't see the harm? Skollin are you lost to all shame?" said Rillen "You jolly well go to the Master and tell him it was you!"

"Why should I?" said Skollin.

"Oh, a coward as well as a sneak?" sneered Bierol "'Cos breaking honour to let that story out is sneaking!"

"Oh pulease! Some of us are older than the language of babes like 'sneak'" Skollin sneered back.

"Oathbreaker then; liar; scandalmonger if you prefer" said Bierel furiously.

"And" said Sarney "Until you confess to the Master, you puling and putrid weakling, none of the rest of us will talk to you, or listen to you or help you or lend you kit. Agreed?"

"Why should we follow what you say?" demanded the fourth as Kemmorn and Rillen nodded. "You're incomers."

"Because we're crafters like you; and not incomers to that" said Sarney, knowing he was wasting his breath "And he's damaging the craft with the taint of dishonour."

Kemmorn glanced at Rillen and spoke out as well as nodding.

"We're in" he said "I don't talk to people anyway; I don't like them much. Any people."

"Honest enough" said Sarney "Skollin, you besmirch the honour of the rest of us; and we will not have it. You have been sent to Southern."

The seniors would not tell Isimy; but it was quite apparent that one of their number had been 'sent to Southern' especially when the other seniors sat to eat at a junior table – Kemmorn and Rillen dragging the fourth boy – 'because it smells better here'.

Skollin was asked to explain; and in due course returned to lessons without his tassels and well aware that they had not been stripped for the careless talk but for not having the manhood to admit to it. Skollin was NOT happy.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

With Journeyman Maybret gone, the atmosphere changed subtly. Although the coming of Isimy had made a difference the continuing cloud of the bullying Journeyman's cruelty hung over the Hall together with the fear that any who opposed his favourites would be punished.

Now it was Horslas and Banessan who became the subjects of retribution; and Alaran broke up the little ones who, having tied the two bullies up, were taunting them and threatening to hang them like their darling journeyman.

Alaran started by administering cuffs all around, not leaving out Haella who had been screaming imprecations as loudly as any of the boys. He untied the older boys and surveyed their tormentors.

"You are a disgrace!" he said coldly to the juniors "To defend yourselves is one thing – to act the bullies yourselves is an entirely different matter! Vengeance on those who can still hurt you back is acceptable, but vengeance against helpless articles like these is almost unforgivable! It's as bad as teasing a watchwher with glows – and if you are the sort of kids that do that, be warned and mend your ways for it's one of the few things Master Isimy will thrash you for! You are ALL on water rations for a sevenday and you will go and beg a sheet of paper each from Journeyman Caim and fill it – both sides – in your best handwriting 'a bully is an abominable freak'. OUT!"

They fled before his wrath.

"Gosh we must have really crossed the line" opined Deaky "'Cos Journeyman Alaran's not unfair. I guess we did go a bit far."

"They bullied my brother; but….well I suppose he's right" said Haella "I don't like having to admit it though. Can we ask Sarney?"

There were murmurs of assent; and the little ones trooped off to ask Sarney his opinion.

He whistled.

"You little toerags!" he said "Fardling well right you being punished! You want to grow up to be like those two – and Maybret? Because that's the way you're going. Starting to bully and enjoying scaring an enemy leads to more bullying you know!"

"Oh" said Haella, crestfallen "We didn't realise that."

"Well you do now" said Sarney "Go get those leaves; soonest started, soonest finished. And mind it IS your best handwriting. Not big and sprawling; he left it to your honour on that."

The juniors trooped off, well chastened.

It should not be imagined that Horslas and Banessan were at all grateful to Alaran for rescuing them; not that the young Journeyman expected them to be.

They had trouble with the whole concept of fairness, Alaran thought; and recommended to Master Isimy that they be split, Banessan the stupider but with some raw courage – he had not shown fear to the wild eyed juniors – staying at Three-woods; and Horslas sent to see if the logicators in Lemos could do anything with him.

Isimy nodded. It seemed a good idea to split them so they could not egg each other on, and isolate the stench of bullying into a containable unit.

wWwWw

Journeyman Hagel was taken aback to see all the juniors on water rations, including his daughter.

"Are you kids on collective punishment for the misdeeds of a few?" he asked sharply, wondering who planned to take over from Maybret as Hall bully.

"No sir; we all did it" said Haella, mournfully.

"What did you do?"

The boys looked at him in reproach. Asking such questions once punishment had been given and accepted was not really done.

"Sir, we were very naughty and we got caught" said Haella firmly, having learned the apprentice code "We didn't realise how naughty we were being 'cos it got out of hand. We deserved our punishment and we are sorry for our misdeeds as well as for having been caught."

That rang true! Hagel looked into his daughter's eyes and read that she told truth and that she was ashamed of whatever they had done.

He nodded curtly and went to the table.

Alaran waved him to the chair next to him.

"I'm not going to make any exceptions for your daughter old man; especially when she was in the thick of it" he said softly.

"Whatever were they doing?"

Alaran grinned.

"Oh only threatening to lynch Horslas and Bannessan!" he said "And Haella screaming 'string them up and watch them kick' with all the rest. I THINK they were just ragging – I HOPE they were just ragging – but what could I do? I read them a lecture on becoming bullies themselves to such helpless creatures, and set them lines and the water punishment. They all handed in their lines so I guess they figured it was fair; and they've been cheery to me as always, the little horrors so I guess they bear me no ill will."

Hagel swallowed.

"Well…..yes, I suppose it had to be nipped in the bud."

"Exactly. And with a bit more heavy handedness than I could get away with at Lemos where the lines or the water diet would probably have sufficed not both. We have to get the idea over that all bullying is bad; and also to establish rule of law. Can't have apprentices taking the law into their own hands. Mild retribution is one thing, but….." he pulled a face "The amount they've suffered I wasn't convinced that what started out as a rag might not have got out of hand and then they'd have had to have lived with having killed someone."

Hagel looked shocked.

"Do you think…."

"I think they've sustained themselves dreaming of killing the bullies and Maybret; he is dead. Sometimes juvenile imaginations can get carried away, especially when egging each other on. They'd be so upset afterwards of course but it had to be stopped before it got to that point – for THEIR sakes too, and also before they got a taste for bullying, even if it had remained a rag."

Hagel nodded.

"Oh quite" he said, shocked to the core to think of his daughter becoming a murderess; and able to see how the little ones might have got carried away. "Well, my daughter seems happy enough to buckle down to discipline like the boys."

"Oh by the time Sarney has her up to scratch, you'll think she is one of the boys and has been here all turn!" said Alaran insouciantly.

wWwWw

The two Lemos seniors were enjoying getting to grips with wood bending beside Haella; Journeyman Manon had suggested a special lesson for the three new seniors as well as the little girl. Alaran and Margand would have liked to have come; but all their spare hours were taken up supervising Horslas and Banessan shifting stone; a matter they rather resented.

"Kamar's going to be sore that he's missing out on this" said Bierel.

"Oh he'll catch up soon enough" said Sarney "If we help him; he's the cleverest of us after all. Did you hear the latest? The second tuners will have it that he's dead too and Maybret killed him."

"Tried hard enough" grunted Bierel "They'll either shut up when Kamar gets back of declare he's a ghost."

"Oh please" said Haella, who had been told that she – as a Journeyman's daughter – might know more if she also swore silence about details "There's a rumour Kamar's ghost is haunting the saw mill."

The boys roared with laughter.

"Load of wherry-teeth" grunted Manon.

"Of course it is, Journeyman" said Bierel "No-one in their right mind believes in ghosts; but kids everywhere frighten each other – and themselves – with such stories. I've half a mind to suggest Kamar should hang around the mill when he gets back before appearing in public; just to teach the scaremongers a lesson."

"Except that it might frighten badly some of the more sensitive babes" said Sarney "Besides, this is Kamar we're talking about; he'll forget his senior tassels and play the role of ghost to the hilt, little horror that he can be."

"Be fair! It's a whole turn since he and I nailed dead fish inside Journeyman Batol's bedroom!" said Bierel "And more than a turn than that at that!"

"Do you WANT to give that girl ideas?" demanded Manon shaking a spokeshave at Bierel.

"Oh I'm sure she's imaginative enough to think things like that up on her own, sir" said Sarney cheerfully "But as to Kamar, I suggest he just turn up and admits to being in the Healer hall and refusing to talk any more about it."

"You're right of course" said Bierel, pulling a rueful face

"One of my more endearing habits" grinned Sarney.

"Shards if that's endearing I'd hate to know your less pleasant features" quipped Bierel.

Haella beamed at both of them; they were really good friends, you could tell by the way they looked at each other, even when they were being rude! All the new senior apprentices were so nice – especially Sarney!

wWwWw

Kamar was cheered back by those who had believed repeated assertions that he still lived; those who promulgated ghost stories were singularly put out over him being disappointingly solid!

Of course more rumours flew about how he had single-handedly fought Journeyman Maybret; and was treated as a thoroughgoing hero. Kamar however laughed about it when a second-turner ventured to ask an awed question over whether he and Maybret had fought with knives or bare hands.

"What a load of nonsense you kids make up to be sure!" said Kamar with a nice balance of amused contempt "Nothing so highly coloured and romanticised – or improper! Apprentices don't fight Journeymen, it's the daftest thing I ever heard."

"Well why was he hanged?" asked one enterprising child in the hero-worship group.

"Oh, I heard he attacked Master Isimy because the Master was sore about his carelessness" said Kamar shrugging. "I don't know for sure; I was busy bleeding on Master Oldive because of being rushed to the Healer Hall from an accident in the saw house."

"An ACCIDENT?" there was accusing disappointment in the tone.

"An accident" said Kamar, firmly. "They can happen anywhere; and especially in a place like this where, as we all know, safety standards have NOT been tight. I'VE been exonerated from all blame and that's all I care about. Don't you little scrubs have anything better to do than to ask stupid questions?"

"No!" replied one.

"Ah well, plenty of work for the idle" said Kamar "You can spend the rest of your leisure period sweeping out the workshops."

The idiot who had said 'no' so glibly and thoughtlessly was, needless to say, well cuffed by his fellows for talking them into doing work.

wWwWw

Thread was due; and Alaran realised with amazement that this was the first Fall since they had arrived; they had been there less than seven sevendays!

It would be time to test the morale of the Hall.

Isimy spoke to the assembled apprentices and Journeymen.

"I don't know what custom you have followed here concerning walking sweep for Threadfall; in Lemos, Journeymen MUST walk sweep, Senior apprentices SHOULD do so and other apprentices MAY."

"It has always been done by the journeymen here, Master" said Hagel.

"Very well; I will accept volunteers from amongst the apprentices" said Isimy "And I will assign them to Journeymen to lead and teach them or to Kamar, Sarney and Bierel who have walked sweep for turns since."

The apprentices stared.

"I say! When did you start walking sweep?" asked Rillen in an undertone.

"Ten turns old o'course same as any craftbred woodcrafter" said Sarney "Them two joined up about the same age when they first apprenticed."

That got about.

The entire of the juniors volunteered – save one – providing they could be with their adored Journeyman Alaran who they were certain would look after them.

Alaran laughed and said they must draw straws to go half with Margand; and they accepted that well enough!

The Lemos Journeymen knew, they were certain, what they were doing!

It was a slight indictment to their original journeymen; but then they had, as Isimy sighed to Alaran and Margand, the experience of seeing the other journeymen buckle under to bullying from Maybret and cowardice in one thing argued cowardice in others.

Still, Isimy was impressed by the numbers of volunteers; few apprentices were to be outdone by the seniors from Lemos, especially when Alaran, asked point blank by Deaky when HE had first walked sweep had laughingly admitted to a thoroughly forbidden nine-turn-old foray with his sister, three years older than him, who was now Green Rider L'sya. It all added to his reputation!

The apprentices almost changed their minds when Isimy assembled them as Fall was about to start and the first warning had gone.

"M-master, we go out after Fall, after the all clear" said Hagel.

"Not any more" said Isimy "We do this Lemos fashion; there are less skybrooms here to protect the stands. If we expect the dragonmen to protect trees we must do our bit properly. The firelizards have chewed firestone; you all have agenothree for score. I, Alaran and Margand will walk point to flame above; Sarney, Kamar and Bierel to the rear, likewise, on overwatch. We go out five minutes after the leading edge passes; the last five minutes is much lighter. The weyr will warn us if extra heavy Fall is anticipated and then we would delay our sweep accordingly. Though I hear that High Reaches Weyr has a better cover record than most."

There were unhappy mutters; but the fact that the folk from Lemos seemed to consider this normal and had been doing it since they were younger than any of the apprentices here was a stiffening to the morale.

wWwWw

Isimy was actually quite amazed at how little Thread got through!

"They're fardling good at this weyr!" he said.

"Yes, it's really light" agreed Alaran, neatly incinerating a single Thread that trickled its lazy grey way towards the ground.

Journeymen ducked as Sarney let forth a burst of flame above the heads of Hagel and Kaybez; and they shuddered as the cloud of dust that was charred Thread fluttered down.

"Pay attention you boys!" said Sarney crisply as the boys turned to stare "Look above the heads of the people in front; spray agenothree before it before it reaches your friends!"

The majority of the apprentices had agenothree sprayers; only those from Lemos carried flamethrowers. Isimy wanted steady people on overwatch.

The numbers of volunteers HAD reduced somewhat; of the original volunteers, several had bolted the moment the doors were opened and they could see Thread; or imagine that they could. Still, it was a reasonable turnout even so, and Isimy had been ready for defections at the last minute.

And once the all-clear sounded its mournful but steady note they broke up into parties to search for tunnels and sear them; and Alaran further impressed his fans by shinning up a pine tree to deal with a huge, billowing grey Thread in the tree tops.

They learned a few choice oaths during the escapade and during Alaran's painful, pine-needle laden descent.

"I HATE pine trees" scowled the Journeyman feeling round to pull needles from his seat.

The apprentices giggled and helped to de-needle him with more enthusiasm than gentleness!

wWwWw

Those who had helped were brought klah outside – including those on water rations who were also to be excused it for their efforts for the rest of that day – so that the apprentices who had dared might have the reward of watching the dragons return home; a high treat!

A big, golden dragon zig-zagged down, backwinged neatly and landed gently in front of the Hall in the field by the sawmill that should have been too small to land in.

Tamalenth prided herself on her manoeuvrability for a Benden-bred Queen!

The golden haired Weyrwoman was speaking warmly the moment she approached.

"Master Isimy! The Weyr wants to congratulate you on your much better coverage – we shan't have to send out our smokeless weyrlings to check you over this time. You've enlarged the crafthall?" she held out her hand "The previous Master said that our expectations were unreasonable."

"We're up to strength now, as you might say" said Isimy, ambiguously, taking the proffered hand in greeting.

"Well, all good to you and your Journeymen and the kids" said L'rilly genially "H'llon said to give you his best; he and his wing bear the brunt of Fall, you know, so he isn't feeling like being sociable; I expect he'll drop in some time."

"Well, please pass our regard and an open invitation, Queenrider; and that of course extends to any of the excellent dragonfolk of High Reaches for an impressive cover" said Isimy.

"It's L'rilly" said L'rilly "No time for airs and graces at High Reaches; certainly not to an important man like a Craftmaster ! well, got to dash, I have hungry twins at home waiting for supper, and a bed-time story. Bye!"

She waved cheerfully to the boys and leaped exuberantly up the straps onto Tamalenth's back.

"Did she make you feel exhausted?" Isimy asked Alaran.

"Only extremely" grinned Alaran. "She's the one that nearly died that the healers had to cut a growth out of the innards of; I guess it makes her savour life the more."

"Aye; I can believe that" nodded Isimy soberly "A brave woman; I suppose I'd let the healers cut me if they had to, but the idea makes me squirm."

"At least they CAN" said Alaran "They couldn't save Fanna; and what grief there was over the loss of a Queen before her time!"

Isimy nodded.

"Ah well!" he said "Everyone in; show's over, hot baths for everyone and bubbly pies for supper!"

That was enough to cheer up any amount of still half scared, cold, tired, stiff boys; who were wondering, if this was considered light Fall how the kids at Lemos managed to cope at all!


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Journeyman Andreesas arrived from the main Lemos Crafthall to teach logging, forestry and sawncraft; and Isimy thought to himself rather dryly that it was as well that Master Challer's daughter was a Journeyman and the big Master's assistant or the assertive forester might have been less sanguine about letting his best trained assistant go! Having Master Barlis back was a sop to Challer too; as Barlis was a perfectly good forester, just a hopeless teacher, administrator and disciplinarian.

Andreesas was a man who was never short of enthusiasm; and he sang and whistled at work, joined by the little blue firelizard that had been H'llon's gift to him after the matter of Thread placed in the stands. Andreesas encouraged any others who felt like it to sing and whistle too to make the harder tasks easier and it did not take the boys long to relax their wary fear of any sawyer, and declared that Andreesas was 'one of the best'!

He arranged strict rotas for the boys to take the bottom of the sawpit – and Haella too, as she could now join the class – but mentioned that he would turn a blind eye to a bit of trading or gambling over the rota providing everyone had at least one turn to see what it was like – as a skill, not a punishment; and woe betide anyone who used coercion to get someone to take his place!

The times each child spent at the lower end were short too, much shorter than Maybret's cruelly extended periods; and they were made to wear goggles like the dragonriders wore, and to tie a cloth over the mouth and nose, safety practices so common in Lemos that Andreesas had ticked a boy off for starting to descend into the pit without them and had been about to put him on punishment for breaking safety rules when he realised the lad was staring at him in puzzled confusion! The journeyman adopted a gentler tone to question the lad about what safety rules he had been taught and when he answered 'none sir' proceeded to check with the rest of the class, feeling certain that the lad was either deficient or did not listen. The truth that no safety measures at all were taken appalled him; and when he found out that the sawmill did not even possess any goggles, the journeyman had to put in an order to the Hold Glasscrafter right away for eyepieces! Andreesas was accustomed to mend such goggles as required it in the Woodcrafter Hall where they were required for logging as well as for sawing; and readily made the leather mountings for them.

When he found out from the boys who had relatives in the craftcots that they were felling trees without goggles he was furious; and told Isimy in no uncertain terms that it was his duty to issue an order to rectify matters!

Isimy held up his hands.

"I've been getting the boys safe from bullying and lax practices, Andreesas" he said "I've not had time to turn my attention to out halls. I'll send Alaran and Margand around taking notes about what breaches there are; and I'll issue orders on all of such breaches. Those two don't start teaching until Turnover, so they have the time."

Andreesas nodded, mollified.

"Sorry Master" he said "I got carried away. But can you imagine what Master Challer would say?"

"I can almost hear him" said Isimy dryly. "Go check those boys – uh, young journeymen – DO know the rules; I'm sure they do, but it'll do them no harm to revise them."

wWwWw

Alaran and Margand did not mind Andreesas checking them through the safety regulations; he had been a journeyman since before Alaran had started as an apprentice, though not by many turns! He was a popular Journeyman as well as being capable of sternness, and many boys found him more approachable than big, hearty Master Challer.

"I'm no expert on roping" said Alaran "But I'll draw any knot I think is dodgy; I can recognise if they look good even if I'm not sure how to tie them all!"

"We ought really, with this in mind, to split the classes into sawing and forestry" said Andreesas "As they're all so backward in anything but study in the bottom of the sawpit; but we'd need other Journeymen. It's not practical. I'll run two lessons I think, separately; and maybe one of the older ones will train up to be my assistant" he ran his hands through his hair in frustration, making it stand on end "Well, we CAN do it" he said; and if it was said to convince himself more than the two younger journeymen they murmured assent anyway.

wWwWw

The first snows of the High Reaches were drifting silently down when the two young journeymen set off; and they went well prepared on the advice of H'llon who had been asked for an aerial survey of all the craftcots. Being H'llon he had drawn a fairly accurate map showing them too. The big Bronze Rider had offered lifts to those places Melth could reach; but Alaran turned it down.

"A Bronze Rider is something to panic over and be nervous of" he said "And maybe do something silly to hide evidence of wrongdoing. Two Journeymen are less conspicuous or threatening."

H'llon sighed that it should be so; but nodded. He advised then to take a burro or llama in case one of them should be injured amongst trees where a dragon could not readily land; and to wear two of everything, with dry clothes too in oilskin sacks, and to take a tarred cloth to make a shelter, and blankets too. He also taught them to make a shelter with a raised bed of small branches or bracken for sleeping and sitting on, raised above the cold of the ground, and a fire outside with a berm to throw back heat. He also suggested that as well as storing smith-craft fire-starters in a metal or stone box to keep them out of the penetrating damp of the early snows that they should carry the more mundane flint and steel.

"If you're lost or injured, if you have no fire you're dead, often before help can get to you" H'llon said seriously "And if you're in woods a column of smoke can draw us to you for a rescue. Going _between_ time to get there quickly is still no help if we have to search the woods."

Alaran listened seriously.

"IS he making a fuss?" asked Margand when H'llon had left.

"Shards, no! He's on mountain rescue patrol you know; and I've heard heaps of stories about people hurt or killed through a neglect of minor precautions!" said Alaran "We'll be a couple of sevendays out there, hopefully sleeping over in craft cots; but I'd rather be over prepared than under prepared.".

Margand nodded, satisfied.

"T'chah! Any day!" he agreed, seeing Alaran's point.

wWwWw

Most of the loggers were glad to have visitors to bring news of things outside the forest; though most came to the Hold for Gathers they led an isolated existence. The unmarried ones tended to fall into two types; the garrulous were so glad to see people they rarely stopped talking; and the dour ones who were solitary by nature resented intrusion and measured out their words like a hold steward hoarding hundred mark pieces, as Margand put it.

The married ones tended, in the main, to welcome the journeymen; and news of safe apprenticeship of girls brought a flurry of excited pleasure in more than one quarter! The womenfolk were glad of some company, the children eager for stories, and the men less likely to be ill-tempered hermits!

Where the young journeymen saw obvious breaches of safety, Alaran used his judgement of each man to decide whether to mention it.

He had no desire for them to be thrown out with a crossbow bolt following if a man was lost to all reasonable social usage; and some, he feared, would have to be checked up on by a large group with the master to back up the order! To others he mentioned, as in passing, a poor knot or lack of goggles; and was appalled to find that few had any idea that there even WERE regulations, let alone what they were; for many were so-called journeymen purely on the say-so of Master Barlis, unratified; and had never received any training in the craft safety regulations! Of those he spoke to, some were resistant to change; others pathetically eager to learn more.

The entire logging situation was a mess.

Change must come; and come it would. With the married ones Alaran made sure to discuss safety in front of the crafter's wives, emphasising that it was for the woodsman's own protection; Alaran had never met a woman incapable of nagging her man into observing any practise to keep him safer, for her continued livelihood if not for love! The promise that the bullying at the crafthall was stopped also had several parents who had intended passing on only their imperfect knowledge deciding instead to send their sons – and in some cases daughters – to the Hall for its greater range of teaching; and Alaran assured those older boys who wanted to come, though they must start at the bottom, that they might by extra hard work bring themselves in line with those of their own age.

"After all" said Alaran to one fifteen-turn-old youth "The atmosphere was such that learning was secondary to avoiding trouble; and the work the lads a turn or two older than you were doing could have been surpassed by my twelve-turn-old cousin, so THEY have to catch up too."

"The place was a disgrace" said the boy's mother.

"So we found when we got there" said Alaran "It's being sorted out; and there'll be lathe and marquetry classes next turn too, and everyone's a beginner on that!"

wWwWw

One of the couples they visited were the irrepressible Deaky's parents; and the boy's father was delighted to learn that his son would receive proper lathe training.

"I can do it, you understand; and I've shown him some, but I'm not sure I'd teach him well enough" he said "He's quick and picks things up well, but….well, if you need me to help build pole lathes I can do that!"

"THAT's an offer I'll accept gladly" said Alaran "We start with making one as their first lesson next turn; they won't learn any younger as the local idiom is. And they'll need them to work on, which is the main reason I'm starting with it! Deaky's my assistant in that; and I'm hoping to build a few treadle lathes too. I've put in orders for the cogs and transference bar to the Smithcraft hall for two; and some decent chucks to fit to them. It's the advantage of a treadle lathe, being able to turn the headstock from the side so you can turn bowls and boxes with the right chuck in place. You'd be welcome to help me put them together too and try them; the Hall would loan you enough to order the parts that need be made for such if you were interested, and if you help out with building I should think some subsidy on the same could be negotiated."

The man, Deano, brightened.

"Turning the inside of bowls I do manage for all but the centre, if they're wide and flat enough; but it would be easier with a chuck. I trained in Lemos so I've used treadles. Is Gerney still helping teach lathe?"

Alaran laughed.

"Oh yes! Master Gerney is my cousin; and he's wed with a host of fosterlings and he wed his star pupil!"

"Well I never – Gerney taking female pupils? And his star? Wonders will never cease! And he's a Master – he deserved it."

Alaran grinned.

"With a decent lathe to work on I should think you might be looking to Mastery yourself in so rare a skill! As to his pupil, Master Bendarek conned him into taking Elissa after he'd praised her work that she'd done under the tutelage of H'llon – she's weyrbred – and he couldn't then go back on it. And now three of his specials are girls, two of them his fosterlings. And the third ANOTHER of my ubiquitous cousins!"

"You're related to the Bronze Rider too, then, aren't you? We were that proud of him when we heard, Kya and me and the kids, a woodcrafter Impressing a Bronze!"

"Yes; and he'll probably be thinking it useful if you outcrafters had firelizards to send if you need help" said Alaran "I'll suggest it to him."

All the younger ones had been eagerly petting little Wally!

The next lad would be coming to the Hall not this Turnover but the year after; and he should have no trouble at all.

"Can we ask for more saplings too, of different trees?" asked Deano.

"Don't see why not. Gerney's been cultivating walnuts; they turn well, though it'll be a powerful long time before they're big enough to take wood off."

"They'll be there for Deaky though" said Deano.

Alaran grinned.

It was nice to talk to someone who thought further ahead than the next turn!

"I saw you had good hard sycamore as well as maple and apple" he said "I'll see if I can get you some box as well; it never gets large but it makes lovely lace bobbins, and more durable reels for threads. We'll want some for inlay work as well that Margand here will be teaching."

"Ah, I did do right to send the boy!" said Deano "I warned him it might not all be good; but it takes a lot to suppress our Deaky!"

"Do tell!" laughed Alaran.

wWwWw

The young journeymen's report to Master Isimy made grim reading; with few even KNOWING the safety standards and half or less caring.

"We shall have to write a list of directions and ask H'llon to print it, is all" said Isimy, discouraged, showing Andreesas the huge list.

"We noted those Journeyman willing to try to improve" said Margand "And those who were silly old caprines."

Margand, taking notes while Alaran talked had put ticks to the number of how co-operative each journeyman was; and had drawn an inverted triangle with eyes and horns to represent those he disapproved of.

"Very…..ah, original" said Isimy, trying not to laugh.

"Well it certainly gets the idea across" said Andreesas "I'm concerned about those who have not been properly ratified as Journeymen; but there are too many to really do much about it save keep an eye on them."

"It cheapens those who came by it honestly!" said Alaran hotly. "And at least two were willing to go to Lemos Hall for a few sevendays, if dragon transport were given, to be brought up to speed and confirm honestly; that they did not know that they required the signature of three masters!"

"Well, that can be arranged" said Isimy "And I KNOW it cheapens true Journeymen: but I can't antagonise half the woodsmen by stripping dubious Journeymen's knots or insisting that they retrain. Those who have sons must send them to a master at some point; those who are alone will eventually die of old age, or retire for ill health and be replaced. They are doubtless adequate loggers; let them do that and call themselves journeymen if they like, for they'll not interact with enough people to make their deficiencies noticeable."

Alaran was not happy; he had worked hard for his knots, but he had to agree that Master Isimy had little choice.

"Master" said Margand "We are given documents as well as our knots. Anyone can wear knots; all we have to do is to deny them and claim any spurious document from Barlis as a forgery, saying that no genuine Master would make such a document so it must be a forgery. That way we cover the integrity of the craft. Moreover, if the inspection team find those ones have NOT instituted safety practices they can demand to see their documentation, and take away any spurious knots, and if need be, run them off the land. We can't have any who are dangerous. If they institute the safety proceedings and seem to be trying, they could be given the benefit of the doubt."

"Now THAT I do like" said Andreesas "Master?"

"Agreed" said Isimy "And in truth it IS a forgery; save that the old fool – and I never called Barlis that – was a party to it. We'll do it that way; Andreesas, turn that report into a short and pointed list of instruction that even the worst reader is going to be bothered to read."

"Yes Master" said Andreesas without enthusiasm; half wishing he had never brought up the issue of safety!

"And I think the Hall should offer to provide safety goggles" said Alaran "So there's no excuse."

"Oh? And will you help to sew the leather ?" asked Andreesas.

Alaran sighed.

"I guess I talked myself into that" he sighed.

"You did!" said Andreesas grimly!


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

Isimy raised the question of verifying Journeymen with Master Bendarek; and Bendarek brought H'llon in on it; and for very good reason.

H'llon was walking on air.

He had just been informed that he was to be overall Master of a new craft, Printcrafting.

He grinned.

"At the risk of being accused of calling for custom for my own craft" he said "I would suggest a printed document – that at the moment at least is impossible to duplicate outside High Reaches Weyr! With real gold threads in the paper; that way duplicating the paper is much harder. And for further safeguards, if each of the three masters required to ratify a journeyman also place their thumbprints on the document together with their signatures that should be impossible to duplicate, for you'll keep, Master Bendarek, a reference copy in your hall. And let the journeyman place HIS thumbmark as well as his signature when he signs to accept the rules, strictures and secrets of the craft. Any man may then ask to see his thumbprint to compare, and make sure it's no stolen document. I could too place a watermark in the paper; appropriate to each craft if the other crafts would be likely to be interested" he added.

"I'll talk to the other crafts; pray set about making the special paper right away for the woodcrafters with some appropriate watermark" said Bendarek "A complex all over design of stylised trees, effectively triangles, going up and down as it were springs to mind; or a single tree with complex branches. I know you're more than capable of either."

H'llon nodded.

"The stylised trees appeal to me; sort of like the passing dragons pattern on the back of dragonpoker cards; but I think a tree with complex branches would be less easy to duplicate" he said. "You know my passion for ordered patterns; but I'm alive to such as a potential limitation!"

Bendarek smiled fondly.

"You are a wise man, H'llon; that you know and accept your foibles and know when they may be limitations!" he said "And after flattering you vastly" he grinned "I'm going to ask you to print enough to backdate for every journeyman I have; I'll get you the precise numbers as soon as I may but I've not so many I can't afford to do that. The Harpers can't do more I should think than the new ones from now on; there are so many of them. But even if other crafts will not, the Woodcrafters WILL."

H'llon nodded.

"Then I'll get to sorting that out" he said "Excuse me; you just made me very busy."

H'llon hurried away; and Bendarek set about taking reference fingerprints from all of his masters and their signatures beside them! And it may be recorded that none of them resented the precaution for the betterment of the craft.

wWwWw

Back in Three Woods Hall the time came for the Turn's End holiday; and many youths departed to spend Turnover with their families.

Isimy and his Journeymen gave a collective sigh of relief; the traditional two sevenday holiday was much welcomed after the strain of the last few months! Isimy himself spent some of the break at Lemos; and had a serious matter to discuss with the Masterwoodcrafter that he felt it justified. Alaran was glad to accept a lift with him to see his family too; and Margand, who had no real family, sent regards and remained to organise Turnover games with the few youths remaining, including Haella and her brother Birgel as a visitor.

Banessan was also one who remained; but as he refused to join in 'kids' games' Margand largely left the sullen boy to his own devices. The rest played team games in the eating hall when it was poor weather giggling wildly to run up one at a time to put on an item of clothing until the whole team – three a side – were equipped with coats, hats, mufflers, gloves and snow goggles, hot and panting to sit down! On fine days they played soft-ball hurley and ran races and Margand knocked up a couple of toboggans to play on that he need do little more than be available in case of accident.

He did put a stop – regretfully – to the path Birgel, Tavald and Haella took that enabled the toboggan to leap clear across the river; the river was frozen but the young journeyman had been warned not to let the youngsters onto the ice for the fear that it was not thoroughly frozen yet; and the Hold had not issued a safety to skate notice yet. As he pointed out, it was a great idea and fine IF they cleared the river and IF the ice held and IF they always remembered to come back by the bridge and not be tempted to cross the ice.

Birgel, the oldest, pulled a face; but he had learned much in Lemos on the importance of safety; and when Margand pointed out that the river flowed fast, and if it was not frozen well enough to bear anyone going through was going to be dragged downstream and would be dead before they could be got out he nodded ruefully and apologised for not considering that.

"When the Hold has the ice declared safe, no reason you others shouldn't toboggan there" said Margand "Sorry you'll miss out when you return, Birgel; but when you do confirm journeyman you can always take little ones another turn to er, help them feel safe for being with a grown up."

Birgel grinned.

"Is that how young journeymen still get to have fun sir?" he asked.

"It stops us getting stuffy about reasonable pranks and games" said Margand "And to keep an eye out for safety too. I refuse to answer your question directly!"

Birgel laughed.

wWwWw

Isimy required all the Journeymen to be back in the Crafthall a day before it re-opened to the apprentices; most had stayed there in fact, having no-where else they could conveniently go. Having no teaching duties was a blessed rest!

The Master addressed all his Journeymen at breakfast on that spare day.

"I have discussed with Master Bendarek the need for more independence here – now our problems are sorted out; and the necessity to build up our own Masters to be able to properly ratify our own Journeymen without having to send them clear across Pern to Lemos. He feels, and I concur, that in general you all need more experience of the levels of excellence expected at the Woodcrafter Hall; but is willing to receive each teaching journeyman for a couple of sevendays during the turn with the view to you working towards your Mastery. Some may make it quicker than others; and much of that will be up to yourselves. However, he and the other Masters have confirmed two Masters to give us a nominal three; Master Andreesas, Master Challer has flown in to present you with your papers of Mastery – that you'll be exchanging for the new printed ones when H'llon gets that far!"

Andreesas went red and looked pleased and grinned shyly at the big forester as he came into the room with papers of Mastery.

"I'm glad Master Challer places so much confidence in me" he said.

"You've been doing the work of a Master beside me!" boomed Challer cheerfully handing the papers over and shaking Andreesas energetically by the hand.

The others clapped; mostly enviously.

"I suppose one of the two incomers will be the other" muttered Journeyman Hagel to Kaybez. "Well they may be no more than boys but they have more ability than most of us."

"The other Master" said Isimy, frowning faintly at Hagel "Is Master Manon; by virtue of being skilled in a skill almost as rare as turning. There are precious few wheelwrights who are truly adept at wood bending; most carts have wheels built in sections! Congratulations, Manon; come and collect your papers!"

Manon could scarcely take it in for a moment! Then he leapt to his feet and shook Isimy's hand heartily.

"I'll live up to it Master" he said earnestly "I'll never busy myself in my workshop ignoring problems again."

Isimy nodded.

"I'm sure you will live up to it" he said "I proposed a couple of others; but on due consideration I do concur with Master Bendarek's desire to see more personal development and experience. And with three Masters, I thought to make up two journeymen tomorrow; Rillen and Kemmorn. Any objection to that?"

"Kemmorn's good but he rather keeps himself to himself" said Andreesas "Rillen's a good lad around the youngsters. Neither has the skill level I'd look for in a Journeyman though; I'd have said it cheapens the achievement of Alaran and Margand in my opinion; neither's as good as Margand when he first arrived in Lemos."

"In many ways I agree; but I want the boys – and girls – to feel some encouragement" said Isimy "And I don't want to send those who HAVE shown strength to Lemos; I need them here. Manon?"

"I can't comment, Master, on skill levels; I don't think any of us have much idea of what IS a proper level" said Manon. "Can I suggest we make them acting-journeymen, unconfirmed, wearing both knots to indicate an ambiguous state and promise confirmation if they pull up their skills to par with Alaran and Margand? Only I'd say we can't count the new skills of marquetry and turning in that."

It was one of the longest speeches the solitary wheelwright had ever made; and Isimy nodded.

"Andreesas, what do you think of that?"

"I concur with that suggestion fully, Master" said Andreesas "I'd even go along with their confirmation at a slightly lower level as long as they've put in effort to improve and promise to work on anything they're weak at afterwards too."

"They've improved a lot just since you came, Master, if Journeymen may comment" said Journeyman Hagel.

Isimy nodded.

"For a valid critique I'll hear anyone's opinion. For what it's worth, you're all teaching to a higher standard too, latterly; I am pleased. When the eight new ones come tomorrow they'll find an orderly crafthall with competent teachers, as I wondered for a while if I should ever have. You've done well to shake off the draining influence of Maybret. Hagel, there will be two more girls, will your wife be prepared to be House Mother to them?"

Hagel nodded.

"Yes sir; the enlargements you made next to our quarters are ideal. Haella's looking forward to being in a dormitory too."

"That kid is yours, is she?" Kaybez was surprised. "I half thought she might be a young relative of one of our Lemos incomers."

"Yes; I'm proud of how she caught up" said Hagel "And now I don't have to fear Maybret picking on her I can own up to her and be proud of her. And of my son Birgel too, who's doing well in Lemos now he's settled down. From what he's told me, Rillen and Kemmorn are well behind Alaran and Margand; but we can all raise our game and it's down to us to help them raise theirs to become our colleagues."

"Well spoken!" said Isimy, pleased "well, I have to say that one day we will be a worthy second Hall; and I can say we can probably make that sooner rather than later. And that's enough talk; the delicious smell of Kellassa's pancakes and maple syrup is making me hungry – let's eat! I at least have plenty of bulk to keep up!"

There was a ripple of amusement; Isimy was built on a large frame, even though he had not a surplus ounce of flesh!

The whole Hall was improving; good humour where once was sullenness helped in great part. Even Kellassa had stopped looking slatternly and had a smart, well turned out staff!

"What are the backgrounds of the new ones?" asked Kaybez after they had taken the edge off their appetites "Some are ones Alaran and Margand ferreted out aren't they?"

"Yes" said Alaran "Both girls are from craftcots, with properly accredited Journeyman fathers. One of the boys we found is off to be a printer instead; he's one of the older ones held back by his parents for fear of what might happen here. The other, a lad of fifteen, is hoping to catch up. I'd not say he has much physical courage; I'd rather have backed one of the little girls to stand up against Maybret than him! Still, he deserves his chance to learn. One of the girls is Haella's age, the other nearly a turn younger. Then there's a little boy from a craftcot; I'm not convinced of his father's credentials on paper but his work seemed good and the boy is well prepared, though not by any means as good as he thinks he is. The last craftbred is a son of one of Kellassa's people; so he won't be needing a sleigh sent to collect him."

"The final three are Holdbred or Cothold bred" said Isimy "One from a cothold, he's a friend of one of the craftcot children and his father applied for him to stay with his friend as he'd picked up some woodcrafting. One is a boy from Three-Woods Hold itself; the other is the younger son of the Holder of a small Hold that is beHolden to Three-Woods and not much more than a glorified Cothold in some ways, with perhaps a hundred souls living in it. And of course we disregard all Rank here anyway."

There was a murmur of assent.

Talent knew no social rank!

wWwWw

Alaran and Margand expected a mixed bag from the new ones.

"T'chah, and the best men among them I'd guess are the two girls" said Margand "They're both really keen!"

"Comes of having a chance I guess they thought they'd never have" said Alaran "I gather a lot of Green Rider female candidates are the same. Like m'sister L'sya."

"I had forgotten your sister was a weyrwoman; you've only mentioned it once in passing to the brats!" said Margand.

"Well, been too busy to talk about my extensive family; as seems a little tactless as though I'm boasting, when you have no family except us" said Alaran "I am so proud of her though; I hope you don't mind me saying" He was trying not to look smug. "Her lot was about the biggest group of girls to Impress in one go ever. Well, in the modern age, anyhow; can't say 'bout before! But being valued and allowed to do something other than having babies does make girls keen!"

"I am GLAD you've a family to be proud of" said Margand fiercely "And…. Well, Arkis DID say he was sort of adopting me; so that makes us sort of cousins."

Alaran grinned delightedly.

"Now THAT is nice!" he said.

"Getting back to the kids who are arriving" said Margand, a bit shy, "I suppose some of the boys might have been suffering resentment because their fathers wouldn't be likely to send them to so dodgy a place as Three-Woods; and are still kind of locked a bit in that even though the cause has gone. Or are wary because I guess men might talk more to their sons so they know more about the problems and find it hard to believe that they've gone away. Of them, Lushall's a good enough craftsman; he'll pull up classes soon enough without bullies depressing his spirit. Gotal is a bragger but he's quite good for all that; and when he's talked a good fight often enough to get his bumptiousness knocked off he'll be fine. Was the cotbred friend that boy Tirrer who we met with Menisha?"

"Yes I think so; she has him wrapped round her little finger, though I don't think she does it deliberately" said Alaran. "We need to help him find a little independence. Maybe we can put him to look out for one of the Holdbred if they need it."

"Good thinking; he'll be further on in the craft, after all" said Margand. "And then there's Lirred" he pulled a face "I know Kellassa's cook wanted him to have a chance as a craftsman but do you really think…..?"

"If he was much more stolid he'd be made of teak" said Alaran "And about as stodgy as one of the less successful dumplings the new kitchen wench makes. When they were handing out the spark of imagination and intelligence he forgot to get up and collect his share. And he has no sense of humour; I'm afraid he's in for some ragging. We'll have to see about stepping on it before it gets out of hand."

"There's a fardling load more to being a teaching Journeyman than just explaining the subject, ain't there?" Margand pulled a wry face "Not just having to be patient with the dim or clumsy ones and keeping an eye on the brighter ones to keep them occupied but also looking out for trouble caused by personalities!"

"Yes; and I'm lucky to have had half my relatives sounding off about it so I have a head start knowing what to look out for" said Alaran. "Most of it's common sense and putting yourself in their shoes; which with ten-turn-olds can be tortuous. Like their nickname conventions. I knew a kid once – he failed in the end for mucking about – whose name was Ferred. That became Ferret, which being sometimes known as Tunnel Cat he became Tunnelsnake and then just Snake."

Margand grinned.

"I think that's the collective so-called wit of a mass of boys rather than just each being warped!" he said.

"You could be right at that" agreed Alaran!

wWwWw

Kelat was the first Holdbred lad to arrive, from the Hold next door, where his father worked the Hold fields.

"I don't know if I'll be any good" he said diffidently to Sarney, who greeted him "But how hard can whittling wood be? It's not hard work like grubbing the dirt to raise crops!"

"Laddie, if you think crafting is a soft option, you are mistaken" said Sarney, not unkindly "There's a deal more to it than er, whittling wood. You have to use your brains more than your muscles, perhaps – though sawing uses both and is hard physical labour – but you have to put in real effort to have the chance of making the grade. Up to half of those who start can be failed after the first turn, you know; though we try to encourage as many as possible to make the grade. Slack however, and you'll probably get thrown out. Just a friendly word to the wise."

Kelat looked horrified!

Sarney privately thought he would no more last the course than Lirred; though at least dismissing him would be less embarrassing than telling one of the support staff that her son did not make the grade! He was glad he was only a senior apprentice and had nothing to do with telling parents that their little darling was no good!

The other Holdbred lad, the one with nominal Rank, was called Prin.

"Please, sir, is it true there was a bully problem here?" he asked nervously.

"The past tense – was – is correct" said Sarney "I don't say we've got rid of all bullying totally, but you little ones can defeat any would-be bully by standing together. I know just the friend for you too, when he arrives; he's cotbred but he's had some preparation so he knows his way around the tools at least, but he's coming with the daughter of the Journeyman who gave him the basics so I guess he'll be glad of a friend in the boys' dorm. Quiet boy; but two of you are worth any big boy with wrong ideas" Alaran and Margand had passed on their ideas concerning the new ones to the three seniors from Lemos.

"Yes sir" said Prin dubiously.

"Don't call me sir" said Sarney "I haven't made it to Journeyman yet. I'm Sarney."

"Er, yes Sarney" said Prin.

wWwWw

Tirrer arrived with Menisha on the first sleigh and Haella whisked the little girl off to the girls' dorm, as Sarney had suggested to her, while Sarney introduced Tirrer to Prin and asked the older cothold boy to look after the smaller Ranking one. Hopefully Menisha could be sufficiently diverted into friendship with the other girl, Vidra, to allow Tirrer to find some independence; for ultimately it would strengthen their friendship and maybe lead to a new generation trained by BOTH parents as crafters; as was now happening at Lemos.

Gotal the bragger was introduced to Kelat, in the hopes that Gotal would keep Kelat on his toes, and Kelat might wear down some of Gotal's effervescence. And Lushall was placed in charge of Lirred, privately charged – with the excuse of being older – with protecting him from ragging or out and out bullying since some might be so misguided as to try to get out of punishments like water rations by threatening a cook's son."

"Are there still people like that here?" Lushall looked as scared as ten-turn-old Prin; and Sarney tried not to despise a big boy of fifteen for that.

"We hope not; but we don't know all the new ones or what ideas they might pick up; or what older ones might decide to fill the vacant niche of Hall bully. As an older one you'll be responsible for keeping your eyes open – just in case" said Sarney. "Besides, if you can catch up you may be a senior apprentice before long; and we may as well see if you can take the responsibility of helping youngsters."

It might bring the boy along.

The girls of course had no real option but to work together; or at least, live together. That they were both keen was a bonus. Haella reported that Menisha and Vidra were deep in conversation over all they hoped to learn and that she, Haella, thought them more hopeful than any of the boys.

Sarney ruffled her hair.

"And you with so many turns experience!" he teased. Haella grinned.

Sarney was her hero after all!

"I caught up the turn's work!" she said.

"Only because the others hadn't DONE a turn's work" said Sarney "This turn the lot of you will have to raise your game not to see the new intake draw level!"

Haella pulled a face; but nodded; and Sarney knew that THAT would get back to the second-turners! Sarney made a mental note too to twit the older classes over the younger ones trying to overtake them. There was nothing like a little healthy competition to make boys work when nothing else could spur them on! The ingrained habit of laziness and mucking about would take a while to break totally and a little applied resentment that youngsters could perhaps do more might help to break it!

And the breakthrough would probably come when one of Haella's contemporaries made senior tassels ahead of those some turns older!


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

All apprentices were equal in the new crafts of Turning and Marquetry; and also in the new class Isimy decreed of Tool Care.

"Without the knowledge of caring for your own tools you will find yourselves unable to fend for yourselves as Journeymen in an isolated Hold. We will bring this Hall into line with Lemos from now on that until you have passed Jointcrafting and Toolcare you cannot be a senior apprentice" he informed the assembled apprentices "It's not my speciality; but in the absence of a Toolmaster I will teach that."

There were subdued cheers from the younger ones from last turn; Isimy was massive and could look threatening but he was popular for breaking, with the aid of his team, the power of the bullies!

Isimy also announced the unique position of Acting-Journeyman to be held by Rillen and Kemmern for their responsible attitude, though they would have to catch up their actual crafting skills to be worthy to hold the knots of full Journeymen.

Both boys were overwhelmed; and Isimy knew he had been right to give them that boost. Both would work their hearts out! The idea of losing even half a rank would spur them on as much as the desire to fulfil the trust placed in them by their new Master.

"I have two lots of senior tassels to pass out too" Master Isimy said "To the two boys who have managed to keep working despite difficulties. You are STILL not of a standard I should like, Zaygan and Bellon; but you both work hard and that I applaud and wish to demonstrate the Hall's approbation."

There were several boys older than Zaygan and Bellon, including the disgraced Skollin and Banessan; both of whom scowled, each having thought that they were to be one of the boys honoured by the coveted senior tassels; for Skollin had assumed that a few sevendays' disgrace would be all that would be imposed and Banessan was deluded enough not to really realise that he was not the advanced student the favouritism of Maybret had given him to understand.

Zaygan and Bellon were just grinning all over their faces when they went to collect their tassels.

"No more practical jokes for a senior apprentice though Zaygan" said Isimy as he passed the boy his badge of rank.

"No sir" said Zaygan regretfully, reflecting that the Master was quite right; that it was not seemly for a senior to lark about. And that such larking about was as much a part of the rot of this Hall as had been the bullying; because Zaygen had the imagination to recognise that fact with the barest hint.

wWwWw

Alaran seriously wanted to scream after he had repeated the same safety lecture and introduction to lathework six times.

He had, at least, one treadle lathe available on which to demonstrate; and with the aid of Deaky's Journeyman father Deano he had built one pole lathe with each class, and a further two so each apprentice even in the largest class could be working a lathe. Deano had been glad to give his time; and in return the Woodcraft Hall subsidised a treadle lathe for him to improve his work. The Journeyman had been honoured to be given a ride dragonback to bring him to the crafthall from his cot in the depths of winter and to return him home when all the classes had built their lathes. Master Isimy was much impressed by Deano's work and wrote to Gerney at Lemos to propose the man as a Master of Lathecraft, which would too mean another master available for administrative purposes.

And Deaky was Alaran's Special apprentice of course!

Despite feeling the tedium of repeating himself, Alaran had moments which offset this; he was pleased to find that two others in Deaky's class had some real talent with lathework, and the boy Siffio was worth training fairly intensively too.

Further up the apprentice rankings, one of the two acting Journeymen, Rillen, proved to be a natural on the lathe as much as was Deaky. Alaran spoke to him.

"Rillen, I know it's a bit against the dignity of an acting Journeyman to suggest this, but would you like to special with me?" he asked. "A second lathe-trained journeyman would be handy, and will stand you in good stead when you come to Prove your knots; it's a discipline that not all master and you'd be looked at favourably. I'd like you to start working on the treadle lathe soon, and that means you can turn out goods for sale for the Hall while I'm tied up teaching."

Rillen flushed with pleasure.

"I'd gladly be a special of yours!" he said "Turning is very soothing – I love it! I've always loved wood but…. Well, this is what I've been looking for all my life!"

Alaran grinned.

"Well you already have a reputation of having a forbidding scowl but of showing kindness to kids" he said "Got to keep up the reputation of us turners!"

Rillen looked briefly startled then realised that the Journeyman was teasing, and grinned back.

"I'm not as good overall as Kemmern; it'd be nice to excel at something" he said.

"And Margand says you took quite well to marquetry too" said Alaran "The two can go together; it's the love of precision."

"And just GUESS how much of a mess Banessan made in marquetry!" grinned Rillen "This is going to be such a really good Turn!"

wWwWw

Alaran and Margand, comparing notes, agreed that it was going to be a really good Turn; though as Margand said, by comparison to previous Turns that was scarcely going to be difficult.

None of the oldest apprentices save Rillen had made any kind of showing with Marquetry, though as he had more talent for lathework it was obvious where the acting-Journeyman ought to be specialising. One of the new Senior apprentices, Bellon, did show an aptitude for the more decorative crafts; and he was to be Margand's special apprentice. Margand was also impressed by a lad in the class below Bellon's former class; Alon was incapable of holding a chisel straight on the lathe but Margand praised his patience in cutting and lining up pieces of veneer.

"And none of the second-turners are dire" he said "None of them got in a hopeless mess anyhow. And of the new ones I might take that kid Prin assuming he passes basic jointcraft and toolcare to give him those periods as free time."

"Prin is good enough for your classes? Good" said Alaran "He broke two chisels and the tail-stock in my class. He's scared of the machine and goes at it too tentatively; consequently it bites back and he has the chisel wrenched from his hand which reinforces his fears. Unfortunately you can't tell him that. He had drawn to go on the treadle, which is fast even though I geared it right down; I'll give him a try on pole lathe, but if he can't learn to cope I shall have to excuse him the class. He's a danger to himself and the rest of us; though I don't dare tell him that or he'll be more scared" he groaned. "And I must make it clear that I excuse him – if I have to – for lack of aptitude, not for discipline, so it won't count as a strike against him, or he'll worry about that too."

"The poor brat is scared of his own shadow" said Margand. "The way I understand it, his father has some fosterlings with the kid's older brother and one of them picked on small Prin to show off how ….manly….he was" his voice dripped scorn.

"Porcine" agreed Alaran. "well we'll set Kamar teaching these little ones self defence. I expect Bierel and Sarney will join in if asked."

Margand grinned.

"Oh Sarney's girlfriend will want him to teach her!" he laughed.

"She's too young to call a girlfriend!" said Alaran.

"Almost fourteen turns. Well, thirteen and a half, anyway" Margand amended the comment "Just the age to pick one and pin him down; and if she was Holdbred quite likely to be married."

"Well I dare say we shall see" said Alaran "Come to think of it, our Elissa wasn't hugely much older – a Turn or so perhaps – when she singled out Gerney. But they grow up quicker in weyrs of course; they have to if they half expect to be fighting Thread by not much more than Haella's age."

"They grow up fast in cotholds too" said Margand dryly. "And there's a fairly cothold atmosphere here with all the loggers in the outcots. But as you say, we'll see!"

"Mmmmm" said Alaran. "Y'know what, old man? Let's not say anything to Journeyman Hagel right now!"

Margand laughed.

"Tchah! How right you are!" he said "A girl's father should be the LAST to know whom she plans to marry!"

wWwWw

Hagel had actually noticed his daughter's hero-worship of Sarney. He liked the boy and appreciated the care he had given to a vulnerable girl before Maybret's abrupt and fatal departure. Even so he wanted to know more. He decided to approach Alaran to ask the young journeyman.

"What's Sarney's background?" asked Hagel abruptly.

Alaran met his eye.

"He's born of a craftbred mother. There's no father apparent and general consensus is that he was sired by a dragonman same as Master Gerney was. Benden Weyr was pretty closely involved in setting up the Woodcraft Hall after all. He certainly has the guts – and the honour – to be a dragonman's boy; and the protective instincts. He'd never hurt your daughter intentionally. And for what it's worth I don't care what his background is, and I also think that Haella is worthy of my friend Sarney."

Hagel flushed.

"A father has to check" he excused his questioning "She's too young of course…."

"And a wise father might insist on a long betrothal rather than insisting on waiting for her to be older before giving permission should a girl get premature ideas" said Alaran. "Master Bendarek insisted that our Elissa should be Journeyman before getting married; it's a good convention to go by. Leichalle waited for her knots too to marry Arkis – that's Master Isimy's son. With such examples to cite she can't reasonably complain."

Hagel nodded.

"Yes, that's a very good idea. Is he courting her do you know?"

"Doubt it" said Alaran "Reckon he hasn't actually noticed she's not just a little girl he's protecting; in his mind, I think she's the same age as kids like Siffio. He's not yet realised that she's moved on to have that marrying light in her eye. I'M not about to tell him either; it'll spoil the surprise!" he grinned wickedly.

Hagel returned a reluctant smile.

"Poor Sarney" he said "Well with the good excuse to insist she wait – and I guess the Master will back me on that – I feel happier. I'd hate her to wed a hero and grow up to find that they bore each other."

"You're a good chap" said Alaran "It'll last or it won't; either she'll grow out of it before he notices or they'll grow together. She's nobody's fool, your Haella, and she'll plan a long campaign to my thinking. Should be fun to watch!"

"NOT for her father" said Hagel dryly.

"Why not suggest to your wife that she mention – casually of course – in front of Haella that she hopes that with more female apprentices none will bring the craft into disrepute by lax morals, illegitimate babies and using the place purely to catch a husband since the Hall here already has so fragile a reputation" said Alaran. Hagel brightened.

"Brilliant!" he said "Thanks, Alaran" he slapped the younger man on the shoulder.

"You're welcome!" Alaran grinned. "I've been watching Elissa gently manipulate people long enough to have caught the trick… especially as I was one of her fellow apprentices she practised on!" and he grinned fondly thinking of his weyrbred friend.

wWwWw

The apprentices buckled down to work. The weather was fairly inclement, and frequent blizzards prevented much outdoor play, so hard work was spurred on by the incentive of avoiding boredom. As bullying and horseplay no longer disrupted classes as a general thing, classes might proceed normally; and many of the apprentices suddenly found that learning could be interesting! With real work able to be done too, more personal projects might be embarked upon, and such projects were taken up enthusiastically! There would be a Spring Gather at Three Woods Hold; and Master Isimy made it clear that those pieces made in personal project time that were suitable to be stamped as of reasonable standard could be sold. The concept of earning marks was as great an incentive to most as anything else!

wWwWw

Isimy had made the decision to suspend classes on fine days when the snow was frozen hard enough to go out; he had been warned that such good days were rare enough in the High Reaches winters and he chased the apprentices out to take advantage of good weather so they might take the air and the thin sunshine. He permitted them to do more personal work on inclement seventhdays, normally a day off that was enforced for the good health of growing bodies, by way of compensating for chasing them out at other times. The apprentices would have had difficulty concentrating on their training in any case, with the knowledge that sparkling snow beckoned invitingly!

At the insistence of the Weyr all the apprentices were issued with snow goggles to play; and a fine to be imposed for failure to wear these.

"It's not like snow in Lemos" said H'llon seriously "The sun is brighter in these higher altitudes; and it can blind in minutes of exposure to glare from snow. Trust me."

Isimy had always trusted his nephew; if young Hallon had said something categorically, he was ready to accept that this was so. And anyone who distrusted the word of a Bronze Rider who knew the region was an idiot.

And the first incident that proved H'llon's point graphically was a salutary lesson to all.

Though the bullying of Banessan and Horslas had been stopped, there were others of a bullying nature who, by being the lesser of the problems at the Hall, had not shown up as much to the team from Lemos. Murgen, a boy of some fourteen turns, was in the habit of picking on a classmate, the boy Alon whom Margand was half considering taking as a special in Marquetry. Murgen thought it funny to snatch Alon's snow goggles off his face and throw them, after running away, over the river. Alon ran after him; and stared in despair at the goggles. The river ran fast, even in midwinter; and it rarely froze completely. Its dark, restless waters were visible below the thin layer of ice on its surface.

"Go on, walk across; or jump. I dare you!" Murgen taunted.

Alon stared harder, starting to sweat. Then he put his hands to his eyes and screamed in real terror.

Bierel, who had been supervising but not closely enough to stop the horseplay, had run over to him.

"Murgen you DIMGLOW!" he said "You might as well throw chisels about! Alon, old man, are you all right?"

"No senior apprentice" whispered Alon "It – it's all red and swimmy. Oh and I'll be blind and never do marquetry again with Journeyman Margand!" and he burst into tears.

Bierel beckoned over another boy to help guide the boy to the infirmary.

"It's all right kid" he soothed "It wears off – you're in for a bad few days, but it will get better. And it's not your fault and so I shall tell the Master."

Alon continued to sob; he was convinced he would never see again and that Bierel was just being kind!

The Healer was High Reaches bred; and dosed him with a light dose of fellis to calm him down and bathed the boy's eyes with saline with a ruthless gentleness, talking soothingly as the fellis took hold of the boy's thoughts enough to keep him from becoming hysterical. She knew full well that an adolescent was quite capable of sobbing his way into a hysterical fever that would not help his healing!

Bierel reported the incident to Master Isimy.

"Sarney's out there controlling the little ones" he said "I heard an indignant little voice shouting 'pull HIS fardling goggles off' so there's no question THEY are not about to be isolated and bullied; and too I trust Sarney to nip in the bud any overenthusiastic retaliation."

Isimy grinned.

"Not that I'll sorrow much if they succeed" he said "Of all the stupid stunts! And after they were all warned too! At least it's not permanent, but from what I've heard he's in for a painful few days poor kid."

"Reckon he's already had a few unpleasant turns from Murgen" said Bierel "He's really hoping to be a special for Margand; between sobs I heard something about it giving him a few hours rest from Murgen."

"Hm" said Isimy "Well a disciplinary offence of a dangerous nature is enough for dismissal. I think Three Woods can do without Murgen. This is NOT the first time I've heard his name. And I never said that to you, boy."

Bierel grinned.

"Said what?"

wWwWw

Murgen spent an unpleasant half hour in Master Isimy's office; and was sent to pack under the supervision of Journeyman Margand whose special apprentice he had hurt.

He was pursued on his way to the Hold to await someone travelling to his father's craftcot by a hail of snowballs and catcalls.

"His father is one of those with rather spurious Journeyman knots" Alaran remarked to Hagel "A logger really, no more; big, bluff, basic sense of what he fondly believes is humour and utterly insensitive. The kid's the same I'm afraid. At Lemos there might be the chance of pulling him up; but we haven't the spare reserves to commit here. And we can't send all our failures to Lemos."

"I'm glad to see him go" said Hagel almost viciously "He started noticing Haella."

"We'll have trouble with his father come Spring" prophesied Alaran "He'll come roaring up here after the Gather, drunk as a Harper, swearing and cursing and demanding to know what the – insert invective of your choice – we mean by – insert second invective – well throwing out his son and are we all invective- invective ponces."

Hagel gave a thin smile.

"You seem to have HIS number" he said.

"Heh, well, I've met a few loggers" said Alaran "They're much alike anywhere I guess. I rode a load down to Igen once; great fun. Learned a whole new vocabulary that I doubt the Harpers bother to record for posterity. The loggers weren't, on the whole, bad hearted, save the odd really cranky one. And I guess this boy and his father make up that odd cranky one."

Hagel nodded.

"Well there's nothing to be done until the fellow does come, assuming you're right" he said philosophically "And I'd not say you aren't."

"True enough; no point borrowing trouble before it happens" said Alaran "I say, let's take the kids' minds off it, Masters and Journeymen against apprentices snow fight; let our hair down a little. No harm in being human on a day off."

"Won't it destroy respect?" Hagel worried.

"No; it's a bonding thing but we're the enemy too" said Alaran. "We always respected those Masters who could step aside from the knots to have fun, in a safe sort of way, and step back into stern in class. It was the ones who tried to be friendly in class we despised" he added "Which was generally inexperienced Journeymen who were scared of the distance between instructor and instructed. Friendly is only good if you can keep discipline too; not everyone can manage that."

"You do it very well" said Hagel enviously "They respect you and like you too."

"They know where the line is that they may not cross" said Alaran simply. "Establish that and the rest is easy. And it's easier to start strict and lighten up than to be too lenient at first and then try to bring in more discipline. Margand and I read the little kids a lecture first on respect due to Journeymen; THEN explained things more kindly."

Hagel nodded.

"I see. Well, what are we waiting for when we have a challenge to issue?"

The snow fight between the apprentices and their elders was much enjoyed by all; and as Alaran had thought, released a lot of tension.

It also made for a shared happy experience for the whole crafthall to build upon.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

The next event of note was the arrival of a letter for Haella and Siffio from Horslas, apologising for his bullying and explaining that he had never known anything else but bullying and so had not known any better way to behave.

Haella read it dubiously; then turned to the letter from her brother at Lemos.

Birgel wrote a newsy letter about what he was learning; and added almost as an afterthought that Horslas seemed a different boy these days.

Haella discussed the matter with Siffio; and they combined to write a note to Horslas. It was a little stiff and very disjointed for being a dual effort but they expressed their best wishes and their sympathy that he had not had a happy childhood!

"We can tell him Banessan's not interfering with us too" said Siffio "They were friends; guess he'd like to know that Banessan is working. And I guess neither of them would ever have got as bad if they hadn't been egged on by ol' Maybret."

"Either" said Haella "Banessan isn't interfering with us either"

Siffio snorted.

"Oh go play with a Harper" he said with cheerful rudeness.

Haella dragged Siffio off to ask the Master if anyone was going to Lemos as she wished to assure Horslas that he was forgiven since her brother said he had changed and he had taken the trouble to write an apology.

Isimy smiled.

"H'llon is taking me on a visit" he said "I'll see he gets your letter. I'm proud of you – both of you – to be such big people as to forgive. When you grow up I'm absolutely certain you'll both be a credit to the Hall!"

The children flushed with pleasure and a little embarrassment for such fulsome praise!

wWwWw

Isimy wanted to discuss the phenomenon of bullies who were worse in pairs for encouraging each other with Bendarek and with H'llon in his capacity as a logicator.

H'llon told them that the Harper Hall had logged this particular phenomenon where a low-achieving, dreamer type of high assertiveness, who felt that life owed him more than he had, could be pushed to heinous action by showing off to a less assertive and yet not submissive youth who also committed acts in this partnership that he would never have dreamed of had he not been with the leader of the two, H'llon called it the high/moderate assertiveness situation and advised splitting any pair of cronies that displayed such features. His assessment was that the less dominant of the pair could subsequently achieve well with encouragement; but the more assertive was often too lazy or too filled with resentment towards something to achieve all of his potential.

"And that describes Banessan" Isimy grunted. "The boy has a chip on his shoulder the size of a Weyr; as you say, he reckons life owes him. HE'LL never make Journeyman or I'm very much mistaken! Glad at least that Horslas can improve."

H'llon was glad too.

High Reaches Weyr was a great believer in second chances; and he was glad the Woodcrafter Hall also adhered to that tenet!

wWwWw

Sugaring off was later in the High Reaches than at Lemos; Spring came more slowly. It was three sevendays later before the sap was high enough to tap.

Alaran knew the fun of sugaring off; and Margand had never experienced it! Alaran was looking forward to introducing his friend to the joys of the seasonal fun!

With the better discipline that the Hall now enjoyed, Isimy permitted the whole Hall to join in the celebrations; and put the apprentices into teams to run errands for the Hall cooks boiling the syrup prepared by foresters until it might be poured into the snow to make maple candy; and then the syrup would be boiled further until it grained for maple sugar. Alaran was accustomed to have the boiling of the sap and the syrup done communally, with all the women taking turns at stirring the syrup after the men had reduced the sap, then orderly children queuing for their turn at the jugs of hot candy to pour each into his or her pan of snow. Having teams of children each having their own smaller cauldron of syrup was, he thought, a better idea here; tighter discipline could be imposed, and older apprentices were on their dignity in front of the younger ones they were partly responsible for, and less likely therefore to get over excited and lark about. Supervision by journeymen too meant that there was less likely to be trouble. It was wise not to let discipline slip even whilst permitting something of a treat.

It was of course the candy and sugar cakes the children were interested in anyway, not the rest of the evening's doings; and the Journeymen had leave to go to the dance while the apprentices went stickily to bed.

Margand enjoyed himself thoroughly.

"Well worth freezing your wotsits off for!" he said cheerfully "Those logger lasses are enough to warm any man!"

"And I thought it was only your face that got warmed when that lass slapped you!" grinned Alaran.

"Tchah, she was only teasing…..you didn't see us behind the byre" said Margand.

Alaran chuckled; stolen kisses and gropes were all any young man was likely to get from the girls, who had a healthy respect for their mothers who were likely to dole out indiscriminate blows with a sugaring ladle if they caught their daughters in too intimate a clinch!

"We'll have to learn to ski up here too" Alaran said happily "Plenty of fun to be had with snow, and as there's plenty of snow here we might as well make the most of it. And I wager you'll have more fun with that than with your logger's daughter."

Margand grinned.

"Tchah, every time" he agreed.

wWwWw

The next event in the Turn was to be the Spring Gather.

After the sugaring off there was a bit of rowdy behaviour for a few days then the boys settled down to work, reminded how little time they had left to complete any items for sale. And then the snow vanished overnight in a few short days, as was usual in the High Reaches; and Alaran wondered at how Spring came with a – well a SPRING rather than sullenly and muddily emerging from winter as at Lemos. There was no real mud; though the river in spate left deposits where it overflowed its bank and flooded the saw mill.

"That's the final straw" said Andreesas "It's inefficient, badly built, and the fardling thing floods worse than a Harper on Benden Red. We are GOING to construct a proper overshot wheel on a runoff channel and gear the power up to a raised structure. I want ALL the kids involved; they won't learn any younger as they say around here."

He had picked up the phrase from Alaran.

"Metal cogs or wood?" asked Isimy.

Andreesas pondered.

"Metal ones last longer, but they can make sparks; and sawdust is always a risk, as flour is. Can you carve skybroom cogs, or use that ironwood H'llon er, acquired from Southern?"

"Not a problem" rumbled Isimy. As one-time carving Master at Lemos, carving precise cogs was well within his capability even with the most challenging of woods!

wWwWw

Andreesas gave a theoretical lesson to the whole Hall – Journeymen too – on the difference between overshot and undershot wheels; and drew diagrams on the slate board to show how, by taking water off upstream it could be held in a raised pool and so plunge over a wheel for greater power.

"The gradient change here is sufficient not to need much engineering either" he said "I had thought we'd need a shaft to take power up to a mill but I find we can do it more directly. Now what is going to be a VITAL piece of kit? Not you Lemos lot, you should have heard Master Challer often enough on the subject."

The Lemos-trained woodcrafters laughed. Master Challer had his prejudices.

Siffio put his hand up quickly.

Andreesas was surprised; Siffio was a nice kid but not usually the sharpest stick in the bundle.

"Well Siffio?" he asked.

"An OFF lever, sir" said Siffio solemnly.

Andreesas nodded.

"Well done; safety first" he said. "I'll credit that quick and accurate answer to your attainments. The easiest way to ensure safety is to have the power transference cog on a moveable lever so that all that needs to be done is to swing it away from where it takes the power from the power source – the wheel outside – to the saw so they are no longer in contact. And while we are at it we'll have more than one power transference cog, a main one that will stop all work in the mill, and one for every application to which we take power. As we are building a whole new mill we may as well use the wheel to power paper pulping and a power lathe for the most skilled. Master Gerney at Lemos is building a power lathe; he may have finished it by now. It was designed by H'llon so I can guarantee it will be both safe and efficient as H'llon listens seriously to both Master Challer and Smithmaster Fandarel!"

There was some laughter!

"Sir, what about stopping the wheel if some idiot should manage to fall in it?" asked Sarney. "It will be easier for heedless brats to reach than Master Challer's wheel I suspect."

"A good point" said Andreesas "The best way to stop the wheel is to stop the flow of water; as must be done too for wheel maintenance. You recall that at Lemos there is a second channel to divert the water to be able to safely work on the wheel; and we shall do similar" and he added it to the sketch "And a lock-gate that transfers flow from one channel to the other."

"I hadn't really studied the second channel at Lemos; sorry" said Sarney "A display of my ignorance."

"And better to address something that you don't know now" said Andreesas "It's only the specialists at the mill and the nosy types like Elissa who generally find out much about the mechanics of it in any case."

Sarney grinned, less embarrassed to be reassured about that. It would be typical of Elissa to know how everything worked!

Andreesas was grateful actually that Sarney had raised the question so that the new Master had to explain something that he had actually thought too obvious to mention until Sarney made him think and realise that to those NOT associated with the mill it was not so obvious. He made a note to thank the lad for saving his face.

Andreesas had brought along cogs and worm gears of various types to demonstrate how circular motion could be increased, speeded up, slowed down and turned into straight motions, and how reciprocal motion could also turn a wheel. He explained that only the best carvers were permitted to make such things.

Smithcrafters of course learned all this in greater detail; and would learn to make such cogs and gears in metal; and Andreesas had spent half a turn at the Smithcraft Hall when he had begun to work at the mill under Challer in order to learn all he needed. It did the apprentices here no harm to have a basic understanding of how the mill worked. Any of them who were as fascinated by its machinery as he had been could spend time with the Smithcrafters too if they wished.

Andreesas loved knowing how things worked; and that included the turning of the seasons as much as the turning of the mill wheel. The properties of different woods, the way sap rose, all made his heart thrill at the complexities of nature that could in some poor way be emulated by the complexities of machinery!

wWwWw

Once the building of the new mill got under way most of the apprentices worked with a will; what would have been hard physical labour to cause grumbles if set as punishment was a task to be approached with enthusiasm for their stake in 'their' mill. The cleverer among them too recognised that it would save trouble and work in the long run if the mill were also to make pulp for making paper from!

It would be summer before the mill was completed of course; but with the willing participation of many hands it was off to a good start!

Master Isimy also decreed that the new toolcraft complex would be part of the mill complex; for a water-driven grindstone was to be available for the larger tools, as well as the treadle powered and hand cranked grindstones he was having built. A small crafthall would benefit from as much mechanisation as was practical where mechanical tasks were involved.

The new mill was to be a stone building of two stories, and with a shaft carrying power up to the paper pulping room and advanced lathe room above; the lathe room would then abut Alaran's latheshop for his convenience while Journeyman Caim had a new, purpose-built papershop to replace his converted and rather cramped papershop of the present.

It was ambitious; but achievable!

It was also a boost to the original teaching crafters that the incomers were prepared to invest so much effort in the improvement of their crafthall!

When the lady Thalara was informed of the plans for the mill she asked if she might also lend labour and pay for some of the expenses in return for some of the power being generated that there might be an extension grinding flour for her Hold; and Isimy was happy to agree. The wheel should be built wider, he decided, than had been initially envisioned, to permit a greater flow of water across it to increase the available power. As the water would return to the river downstream any way, there was no reason not to increase the amount diverted anyway for the few tens of dragonlengths that were required, even filling the millpool with the greater amount of the river's flow, the excess using the original river bed that would be a safety feature when the river was in spate. Which would, as Isimy explained to Thalara, give the possibility of further extending the mill to a few more potential applications if anyone thought of them.

Thalara was delighted.

If the Crafthall flourished, it increased the wealth of her Hold as well; and cheaply produced flour would also help her out. She was a pragmatic young woman and a believer in progress, and put all her support behind Isimy.

As Thalara was also a popular replacement for her dead grandfather, himself well liked and respected, even those would be detractors sniffed and agreed to see how things went! Old Holder Marek had established the Crafthall there; and had taken, before the onset of his illness, a personal interest in it. The Hall's decline had almost mirrored that of the old man; and most in the Hold were glad to see the back of Thalara's mean spirited parents who had done nothing to stop the rot engendered by Maybret. Most indeed felt that the Hold would have become as bad as the Hall had not Lord Deckter ruled Thalara as the old man's heir. Thalara had shown herself to be willing to act with the crafthall without excess interference; and to do whatever was necessary for justice. That she was a pretty girl did NOT hinder her popularity!

In fact it was considered a disappointing thing to most of the watching Holderfolk that Master Isimy showed no romantic attachment to their Lady!

wWwWw

The return of a full, and well-stocked woodcrafter stall to the Gather was also greeted with enthusiasm by the Holderfolk, who had seen over the past few turns little but a few journeyman pieces that were well enough made but decidedly dull. The new spirit at the Hall had brought an exuberance to the work of those who had been so depressed before; and there were competent apprentice pieces too!

Exciting also for the locals was the appearance of lathe worked pieces and marquetry decoration on some of the boxes, all utterly new to those who had not travelled to a Gather where the Weyr woodcrafters displayed their wares, save for the most functional of pieces like the spools Deano made in his craftcot.

Deano himself had made a number of items and was invited cheerfully to exhibit on the woodcrafter stall when he looked to be setting up his own small stall. He accepted gratefully; being sold from a guaranteed craftstall meant an increase in price, and whilst some percentage must go to the parent crafthall the difference was enough to more than cover that. Especially since independent crafters were expected to tithe their place of training or nearest crafthall in any case; and Deano was one of the few to have scrupulously done so.

None of the apprentices had managed more in turning than a few spools to date; but it all helped. And Alaran had produced a range of goods to demonstrate what the crafthall could soon be expected to be producing – much of which was a revelation to Deano too! Margand had done likewise with his specialities, encouraging his star pupils to make a box each with a simple, central geometric design.

He had displayed his virtuosity with box wood stringing and sinuous designs of flowers and leaves just to show what could be done by the skilled. His pupils were almost as impressed as the Holderfolk! Indeed, because they appreciated more what had gone into this, they were perhaps even more impressed and many hoped to reach a stage where they might be permitted to use heat to colour a piece of wood to simulate a shadow over just a part of the one piece of veneer!

Everything sold out; and quickly too.

And as some of the buyers were visiting traders the woodcrafters hugged themselves in glee that the fame of their Hall would soon spread!

wWwWw

The woodcrafters also took several orders for furniture from those who had hitherto wondered whether they dared approach the Hall and run the gauntlet of what had been an undisciplined rabble; and there was even the order for a new waggon from a cotholder who wanted 'proper wheels' delighting Master Manon.

"It's almost a waste for us to have you up here, Manon" said Isimy to the wheelwright. "You'd get more custom in Lemos; there are few enough roads here that can be made in the mountains and half the turn people use sleds in any case!"

"But the few carts that are needed here require the best wheels that can be made" said Manon "And I know I'm good at what I do. And I can make rocking chairs and wheeled chairs for the old aunties and uncles, and I can put a curve to a chair for comfort and shell knows, warm, comfortable wooden chairs are more necessity than luxury up here at the Heights!"

"That's Faranth's own truth" agreed Isimy. "And I guess if you got known, there's a big trade in racing buggies for the High Reaches Hold and Nabol Race-day Gathers."

Manon brightened.

"I'd like leave to visit one or more if I may, Master" he said "If I can look at what they are using I might even be able to improve upon the design; it's worth checking to see!"

Isimy nodded.

"I reckon I can find you a patron too who'd be willing to try innovations" he said "H'llon is on good terms with a Runnerholder who races buggies as well as ridden runnerbeasts. He also breeds cartbeasts; a possible good customer on several counts. He'd probably be glad if you could train up a journeyman to post under his woodcrafter; for he's just sent his two senior apprentices to Lemos I'm told."

"Hope they're better prepared than our Birgel was" said Manon dryly.

"One is H'llon's cousin; and by all accounts the Master is good" said Isimy "Tragen is a good judge of men and encourages efficiency as much as he punishes laxness. He'd call for the replacement of a man he felt did not do his utmost for his holderfolk – and his beasts."

Manon nodded.

"Good; I like to know that any lad I might send out is going somewhere decent. Why is that boy Alaran signalling to us?"

'That boy Alaran' came over at a run to explain.

"Masters, we'd like – the Journeymen that is – to have the Masters back in the Hall because we're expecting certain…..trouble" he said tersely "The boy Murgen's father is here at the Gather, drinking, and threatening to smash up the Hall and the Master."

"Isn't it MY business to deal with that?" asked Isimy mildly.

"Only if we can't, Master" said Alaran "It's beneath the dignity of a Master to have to deal with a drunken oaf, especially if it gets physical. We have a plan. And it's even mostly legal!" he assured his Master.

"I like the 'mostly'" said Isimy dryly "Very well; Manon and I will withdraw and permit you Journeymen to implement your plan. Let me know if you need help."


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

The drunken logger roared up the path towards the Hall.

Alaran stepped from behind a tree.

"Can I help you?" he asked coolly.

Unravelling the slurred voice and the choice invectives, the man – in almost the exact idiom that Alaran had predicted – demanded what he saw as justice for his son.

"But your son broke the safety codes" said Alaran.

"Ah, garrahta ma way, you sissy!" yelled the man.

"Sissy? To believe in protecting ALL the apprentices by safety codes – even your boy when he was there? Ah, of course; I forgot – you don't understand safety codes because you're not a real journeyman…..only accepted on the signature of Master Barlis."

"Wot?" the man raised a threatening fist.

Alaran smiled and made a gesture.

Margand, Hagel, Kaybez, Rillen, Kemmern, Sarney, Bierel and Kamar stepped out from behind their own trees and bushes. Each was wielding a good ash wood hurley stick that they had borrowed from the Hold Hurley team. They surrounded the logger and Alaran.

"I wouldn't try to get physical if I were you, old boy" said Alaran "I didn't think you'd believe I can take you – I can, by the way – so rather than have to hurt you I brought a little….convincer. I do trust they are sufficiently convincing?"

The logger bared his teeth.

They were convincing.

Raw courage he had in plenty but he knew when he was beaten.

"I can complain about you threatening me!" he said "I got RIGHTS!"

"Rights? Oh no, old boy. You have NO rights. You see, you're not a real Journeyman. It takes the signature of three Masters to make a Journeyman. Your paper bullied out of Master Barlis is worthless. Your knots are fake. Did you know that impersonating a journeyman is a crime? We can drag you before the Master trussed up like a Turnover wherry for the spit, and he can sentence you to work off your theft of our reputation by reason of your lying knots by drudging at the Hall for up to fifteen turns. I know OUR rights over you, you see. And I checked it up on the copy of the Charter in the Hold."

It had been pure guesswork that the man had actually bullied his papers out of Barlis, based on that Master's weak character; but it was a guess that paid off. The logger looked shifty and not a little scared.

"But – but you can't!" he cried "My boy – his mother – the little 'uns'd starve!"

"Perhaps you should have thought of that before you impersonated a journeyman old boy" said Alaran, sternly. "Your boy broke regulations more than once; he might have taken the livelihood from another boy by permanently blinding him with this last stunt of his. We have rules to protect people. We have rules about journeymen to protect non crafters from shoddy work. If you bought an axe from someone claiming to be a journeyman smith and the first blow caused it to shatter and you were blinded by metal shards, wouldn't you be justly sharded off?"

The man stared.

"I guess so" he said sulkily. "Awright, if I take of the knots, will yez let me go?"

"I will" said Alaran "You're a logger; and that deserves respect in itself. I respect the hard work you do. If you will take the effort to teach Murgen to adhere to safety rules – we sent you a list, and we can give you another if anything happened to the first list – and teach him to obey authority and respect other woodcrafters, THEN we shall have him back next turn, with the loss of a turn's seniority but a blank record of discipline. A fresh start. He had a bad start at the Hall because discipline was too lax for a while; it's not all his fault. But he needs to know that there are things that are not acceptable. And blinding another boy is NOT acceptable, even though the blindness was only temporary. Our eyes are our craft as much as our hands."

The logger was frowning.

"You keep talking about blinding – he told me he were throwed out for joking around!"

"He stole a boy's snow goggles and threw them where the lad could not get them; and consequently suffered snow blindness. I know in the forest proper the trees block a lot of the glare so it's not something you suffer from in your own home; but a boy bred in the High Reaches really ought to know better" said Alaran. "Especially as all the apprentices had been warned about why they must wear goggles to play outside. It was the last of a number of pranks that were all potentially dangerous; like pushing a smaller boy near the saw wheel, which could have been deadly."

"Maybret pushed me under it" said Kamar "And THIS was done while the wheel was SLOWING because my friend turned it off" and he pulled up his trouser leg to show the scar. "Murgen doesn't think and he won't listen. You, sir, have a chance to help him to grow up enough to come back to us. Nobody deliberately chops off their own foot, nor stands under a falling tree. But kids need rules that are rigid because we all need to be TRAINED in common sense things like the angle at which to swing an axe; how to prepare a tree to fall safely; and the things you take, I am sure, for granted. And I have to say that if you have any habits of taking short cuts and risks yourself, I don't suppose you realise that your children learn to copy such short cuts without the experience to know WHEN they can take such as you have. Rules aren't for the sissy, but for the safety of all."

The logger had both sobered up and calmed down after his shock.

"Well, I'll larrup him for lying to me" he said.

"It may not have been a deliberate lie" said Alaran "He's mixed up, I think, and does not know the difference between joking and pranks and dangerous behaviour. I'd not want you to whip him for a fault he may not realise he has been guilty of."

"Well we'll see" said the man trenchantly. "I can go? And he can come back next Turnover?"

"Yes; and conditionally upon his behaviour with you, yes" said Alaran. "I'll take your knots; and I've a copy here too of the safety regulations for you" he had brought out a copy of the printed sheet, feeling certain that the man had thrown his original copy away with some comment about it being a 'waste of time'! "I'm sure reading the notes thoroughly will remind you what you were taught and why; and will be helpful teaching Murgen. And any journeyman at the Hall will be glad to clarify anything that seems unnecessary to you."

How much the fellow would adhere to safety was debateable; indeed so was the amount he might teach his son. But the shock of dismissal might make Murgen more subdued and susceptible to discipline on the boy's return when too he would be in a class with the likes of Deaky and Haella who would take no more bullying from anyone!

It was unfortunate that gentle Alon had brought out the worst in Murgen, being a quiet, introspective boy inclined to pessimism and utterly unused to stand up to a rough-and-tumble type like a logger's boy.

In the end, Murgen's father left quite meekly, more intimidated by the force of crafting law than by the hurley sticks even; and he went on his way laboriously reading the regulations as he went.

wWwWw

"We got his attention with a display of threatened violence, quoted the Charter, threatened him with legal punishment then let him go with the promise that Murgen should be reinstated in a turn if he learns to behave" Alaran summed up to Isimy.

"I think I want to hear the full story" said Isimy.

Alaran grinned and told him.

"I hope you don't feel I exceeded my authority in offering to have the boy back" he concluded "I know you hated to have to let him go; and he has plenty of raw talent. But he could not be reinstated right away. I thought if I put the onus on improving his behaviour on the father it would be all right?"

Isimy nodded, and gave a reassuring smile.

"It's infernal cheek of you to take the decision on to yourself of course" he rumbled "But you're always infernally cheeky in a constructive sort of way, my boy. And you'd do the same if I were NOT your cousin."

"Oh yes!" said Alaran "I – I saw an opening to gain a tentative alliance with the man, that had to be better than having him hate us and maybe stir up trouble; so I leaped in with both feet and took it. I knew you'd back me even if you chewed me out in private."

Isimy nodded.

"And you made it conditional too; which means he can come on a trial period while we assess his behaviour. It was a good judgement call, Alaran. And I do back you; and I'm glad you know that I would do so even if I did not entirely agree with your choice of action. Do the others know it was your call?"

Alaran shook his head.

"I let them think you'd suggested it, Master; I figured that if you WERE cross about it you could then strip my knots or something and they'd not be involved. If they had known, it would then have made them uncomfortable and would be unfair. Though I shouldn't mind betting that Margand suspects."

"Yes he's come to know you quite well" said Isimy. "And we'll keep it that way, though I never would strip your knots for an error of judgement and a bit of cheek. You know me well enough to have a fair idea that I'd support the idea; I do hate wasting talent. It could be that the shock will do that boy the world of good; we can but hope so. In fact, I'll go out and visit him over the summer. I approve; now go away before I remember what a cheeky little swab you are!"

Alaran laughed and left with an alacrity born of avoiding prolonging the more painful interviews his insouciant cheekiness had gained him as an apprentice.

And an idea struck Isimy who sat and laughed until the tears ran down his face at the idea of using the law in yet another respect.

Loggers were NOT required to tithe to the crafthall.

Journeymen were.

How long, he wondered, would those spurious crafters keep their knots and illegal documentation once word went out that the crafthall would be expecting a proper tithing from them!

Probably not very long at all.

wWwWw

"I reckon you deserve Mastery more than I do" said Hagel to Alaran later, in the Journeyman's common room. "You know just what to do in any situation."

Alaran laughed, touched that the older man should be so generous as to say such a thing; and laid a friendly hand on Hagel's shoulder.

"Maybe that'll stand me in good stead when I'm old enough and good enough at my craft" he said "I AM hoping for a young Mastery; after all there's only one Master of Lathe on all Pern, until Master Bendarek deems Gerney's wife to be old enough."

"How old is she?" Hagel asked.

"About the same age as me!" said Alaran laughing "Only she's seventeen going on thirty-something 'cos she's taken on a fair of fosterlings. She made journeyman at just fifteen and it shocked Master Tuon who thought she must be at least twenty because she was so mature!"

"I hope she won't regret the lost childhood" said Hagel "It's another reason I don't want Haella to settle down too soon."

"Oh Elissa's Weyrbred; she reckons we keep our kids young in crafthalls. As she pointed out, a lad of fifteen could have been fighting Thread for a turn and a half already; I suppose that DOES bring it home."

"I suppose so" said Hagel "I guess I knew the age to stand is twelve turns; and I vaguely know that a dragon is grown in a little over a turn; but it never really went home. I wonder if that is worth impressing on our apprentices who think twice about walking sweep that some of the dragonmen above them may be younger than most of our older ones and scarcely older than our youngest."

Alaran looked at him with approval.

"I like that idea old man" he said "And perhaps we can ask some of the younger blooded riders to visit us too. I should think the discipline we've imposed that some still grumble about ought to pale into insignificance before the discipline of getting out of bed at all hours and in all weathers to face Thread. And I think there's a couple of Impressed woodcrafters too, though I'm not sure they're both blooded yet….L'sya, m'sister, writes rambling sorts of letters full of information about people I can't put faces to, so I can get quite confused!"

"Oh, that's sisters" said Hagel "Mine is just the same; writes once a turn when traders are coming up this way and crams a turn's news into them. She's wed to a woodcrafter in Ruatha and I'm never sure if the names she throws around are her kids, her husband's nieces and nephews, or his hounds!"

Alaran laughed.

"We'll get a friendly rider to drop you in for a visit sometime so you have a face – or a muzzle – to put to each name" he said.

Hagel's eyes widened.

"Truly?"

"Sure! It's what relatives are for – to exploit!" said Alaran airily. "M'sister'd take you, or H'llon if you like, though H'llon's awfully busy and I prefer not to ask him if it's not urgent. And we also need to see about getting firelizards for all the Journeymen here as well as for the outlying crafters."

Hagel was overwhelmed.

Almost all the people he had known before – at least at Three Woods – would have gloated if they had dragonriding relatives, and would have made much of the privileges, like any firelizards that such brought them. Alaran seemed ready to share his dragonriding relatives with all the Crafthall! Whether it made a difference that the relatives were also craftbred, Hagel did not know; but he suspected that it was more that the whole family were generous by nature.

It also seemed, from the attitudes of the riders who passed by, that the whole of High Reaches Weyr was generous and friendly! Thread had fallen three times since that first sweep walked before the all-clear, and the riders had, many of them, swooped down to wave as they returned home. The next Fall was due in the early hours of the morning towards the end of the month; and Isimy had received a note telling him that the boys were NOT to be roused from their much needed rest; that it would be a good exercise for the smokeless weyrlings to come over at dawn to check for burrows and incursions. It was a welcome courtesy; not that they would be much good in the dark in any case. And it would only frighten the children more as could serve no good purpose.

"How do dragonriders flame Thread in the dark?" Hagel asked Alaran.

"There's always some light in the sky unless it's heavy cloud" Alaran had been told by L'sya how scary night Falls were. "But even so, it's when most Thread score happens. They do it partly by guess, and keep flaming where they know it's going to be. Dragonmen hope for at least one bright moon on night Falls and preferably Timor for being the larger. I understand though that even Belior can make a significant difference. And people like H'llon, who can actually sense Thread, get to direct things."

"I suppose most of us just don't appreciate how much difference conditions like day or night or weather can make for dragonmen" said Hagel "As if it weren't danger enough fighting Thread, to do it in the dark too…"

"And worse, in wind in the dark" said Alaran. "L'sya says that a couple of experienced dragons with good flame try to keep up constant low level flame to light the sky enough to reflect off the Threads. Any flame destroys night sight anyway; and people are flaming all around, so they try to just keep it as bright as possible. I guess when there are enough grubs they might not have to fly at night at all; but it could take generations."

Three Woods had been provided with a box of healthy grubs that had been let loose to breed; but Isimy had been worried that they would not multiply so fast in the colder reaches.

It was a start, however!

Hagel was starting to be PROUD of his crafthall.

He was to be the first Journeyman to make an extended trip to Lemos; and asked permission to visit his sister if not exactly on the way at least to prevent asking a rider to turn out twice. Isimy was glad to grant that permission if Green Rider L'sya was agreeable.

L'sya was more than happy to oblige.

She was recently fully blooded, and was quite confident _Between._ She needed a visualisation for Hagel's sister's Hold but that was readily obtained!

wWwWw

Hagel's sister and brother-in-law were mightily impressed at his arrival dragonback like someone Ranking! They were startled that L'sya was female; and Hagina gave her brother a doubtful look when enquiring after his wife and children.

Hagel's enthusiastic response over how well Birella was enjoying being housemother to the female apprentices had Hagina relaxing somewhat.

L'sya beckoned the woman over while Hagel met his nieces and nephews.

"Saw your look" said the Green Rider laconically "I only met the man today; I'm craftbred from Lemos, not Three Woods. Besides, if you think a rider's honour is worth so little as to play games with a married man I guess you think we're all Kylara. Which I assure you we are not; and to be looked at as though we might be is decidedly insulting."

Hagina flushed.

"Oh, y-you're craft bred?"

"I am; but it doesn't make a difference; we all have our code. And I must say it doesn't speak well of your opinion of your brother's honour either; which my brother, his friend and fellow Journeyman would knock a man down for."

Hagina went a deeper red.

"I suppose…. Dragonwomen are exciting and glamorous…. We expect the men to have their heads turned…" she floundered.

"Heh, we put on our trews one leg at a time and we need a shit every day like everyone else" said L'sya. "And you people here who have a dragonrider Lord Holder and no excuse for ignorance! Ah well, after he's had a few trips with various riders who happen to be free, I guess you'll understand better. Just don't embarrass the poor man by asking if he's having a wild affair with one of the male green riders who prefers other men as lovers. I don't think he'd be happy."

That brought Hagina to the deepest flush of all that such should even be mentioned!

Fortunately Hagel was so caught up talking with the children that he never had any idea of his sister's less than charitable thoughts; and it was for the lack of charity and failure to put trust in her own brother that led L'sya to think that the woman needed a little bit of gentle punishing by being thoroughly embarrassed.

And when Hagel had finished catching up with his family a couple of hours later, he climbed back onto Nefreth happily and looked forward to his visit to Lemos with a mixture of excitement and trepidation!


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

On request the Weyr sent a number of very young riders to mingle with the young woodcrafters; the woodcrafters of the weyr were among them. T'fer, the Weyrwoodcrafter in H'llon's shoes did not yet have an adult dragon, nor were V'lie and D'lin on dragons old enough to go _Between_, but H'llon took time off from Printcrafting to provide lifts, bringing also Tahnee, now a Printcrafter Journeyman, to visit her friend Margand as well. K'star, an unofficial woodcrafter, and his weyrmate M'ander, brought the rest of the woodcrafters who were not Impressed, Radall, Serelis and Diccon; though Serelis was a candidate now!

Isimy formally apologised to Diccon in front of all the Hall for the Hall's failure to care for him and his mother. Diccon grinned at him.

"It wasn't YOUR fault, Master!" he said "And I had a splendid foster father in Marek and then I got to go to the Weyr so it worked out just fine!"

Isimy had to smile at so tactless a reassurance!

wWwWw

The crafter children were inclined to stare unkindly on Radall at first; until he picked up some tools to demonstrate where a lad several turns his senior was going wrong.

"I could teach jointcrafting for you for a couple of sevendays while your journeyman's away if you like" offered the legless boy to Isimy, who was supervising the class whilst trying to teach tool care to a group of seniors. "I'm not old enough to stand for Impression yet so I've free time and it's not like any of them are awf'ly far on, is it sir?"

There were waves of indignation and chagrin.

A boy the age of their youngest apprentices – and a cripple too – having the GALL to suggest teaching?

Isimy smiled.

"It's kind of you Radall. After all, you have been working with wood for longer than most of the apprentices here; but I understand you're expecting to go to Lemos to prove as a Journeyman soon."

"Master Bendarek says I mayn't have my Journeyman's knots until I'm fourteen, like Kispre, even though he's passed all my work as up to standard" said Radall "So I thought I might as well make myself useful in the meantime; I'm marking time right now and it's not much fun, because I really ought not to pursue projects that would lead to Mastery because T'fer says it's not very polite."

"Master Isimy thinks that his half-trained toe-rags that he's just now licking into shape won't take any notice of your talent because they're ashamed a boy so much younger than them should be so much better then they. Isn't that it, Master?" said V'lie bluntly.

"It is" said Isimy "I look over them looking in such a way and feel slightly ashamed that they are resentful of another's talent and ability."

"Well the offer's there, Master" said Radall. "How about a game of Weyr versus Craft goalball when you break to break the ice?"

His voice had a hard edge on it to anyone perspicacious enough to notice; he had seen some of the lads eyeing his wheeled chair with contempt; and had every intention of showing them just what he could do in it!

The game, which Master Isimy gladly sanctioned, did leave the Three Woods apprentices with considerably more respect for Radall; as did the two quiet fights Diccon and D'lin had with boys who made disparaging remarks.

wWwWw

"Having our Radall visit won't do your lot any harm I guess" said Tahnee to Margand "You happy here?"

Margand nodded.

"I enjoy the challenge" he said "And Alaran has become a good friend. You look well too!"

Tahnee grinned.

"They put me to egg but fortunately there was no dragon for me; with the next clutch half our senior printers will be standing, and if they Impress I'll be snowed under with their work as well as mine!"

"You'll enjoy every minute" scoffed Margand. She grinned again.

"Yes I probably shall. Margand, do you still feel romantically inclined towards me? I'm not particularly romantically inclined anywhere myself still; and I'd rather just be friends, only it's nice to know where we stand."

Margand surveyed her seriously.

"I'd far rather have your friendship than spoil it with fumblings into sex that might lose something good between us" he said "I like you so much; you helped me to fit in, and gave me the tools to have the confidence to be ABLE to look on this place as a challenge not to despair. I think being friends is a good idea."

Tahnee smiled a swift, smile and kissed him on the cheek.

"And we're both FAR too busy for looove anyway" she said cheerily!

wWwWw

It was probably inevitable that Radall had a run-in with Banessan.

"You cocky little snot!" the older boy said "You think you're something because you live in the Weyr – but you're only a cripple!"

"Nope, I think I'm something because I'm more a woodcrafter than you, you stupid oaf" said Radall "And I'm not a cripple because I don't let the lack of legs make me any less. I'm actually a sight harder than you 'cos I can do everything you can do without any legs which means if I had legs I'd so make you look even more stupid than you already do."

"If you weren't in that chair I'd give you what-for, you cheeky brat!" howled Banessan.

Radall swung out of the chair, standing as he was wont to do on his hands.

His wrists were very strong.

"You want to fight? I'll lose but I'll give you a run for your marks while we're scrapping as you're scared to fight me in my chair!"

"Scared? I'm not scared! I don't want to get into trouble for maiming a sharding cripple!"

Radall laughed.

"Oh I wouldn't sneak you up you little creep. C'mon – fight!" he swung his body at Banessan's legs.

Banessan leaped back; but Radall swung after him, faster than the big boy could have anticipated, and grabbed Banessan's ankle, resting his body on the ground to do so.

Banessan went down; and Radall leaped on him. The bigger boy saw red; and they rolled around punching, grappling, and – in Radall's case – biting.

Inevitably Banessan managed to roll Radall down underneath him and raised a fist to smash into the boy's face.

Radall nutted him.

Half dazed Banessan drew back; then pulled himself up to his feet.

Radall was scared then, though he hid it. If the boy started kicking he was in trouble; but Banessan just stared at him.

In truth, Banessan had been lonely and rather bereft since Horslas had left, with no-one to boost his ideas of supremacy; and sanity had started to return to him without an admirer. And whatever else was wrong with Banessan, he did not lack courage; and it was fear and cowardice he despised more than anything else, not having the maturity to realise that fear and cowardice were not necessarily the same thing.

"Shells, you're fardling game" he said in a voice that came close to admiration. "Reckon you ARE hard all right; need a hand up?"

"Thanks; I can manage" said Radall "I make a POINT to manage. My parents told me, before they died, that I didn't have to be any different to anyone else; and I'm not. The chair's a convenience; it puts me higher as well as giving me speed. When you're only halfway up people, they talk to you like you're a little kid and it makes me want to maim them sometimes!"

"I guess that would" said Banessan. "How come you're so good at woodcraft?"

"When my parents died and I went to my aunt the silly wherry thought she ought to keep me in bed and treat me like a baby; she didn't really want me at all. My lack of legs embarrassed her and she could never actually LOOK at me. Some people still look away; outsiders mostly, not the Weyrfolk. You have the big ones to look at me; and look properly. My aunt thought I should have been smothered at birth; I heard her say so. And D're – he was Daire then – was collecting kids who weren't wanted to go to the Weyr because he had heard stories that nobody was turned away. So I went with him. And the Weyrfolk helped us all find our own strengths. And I apprenticed with H'llon, 'cos I found out that I love wood; and I've done it for close to three turns. And until H'llon figured out fitting skids to my chair I couldn't get around so easily in the snow – I get frostbite on my palms if I hand-walk – so I worked extra hard instead." Radall climbed back into his chair and shrugged. "I have a hand-cranked lathe, so I have to turn one handed; and I'm good enough to be passed to use the water-powered one too under supervision so apart from sawing timber in the pit I can do everything."

"Well! I guess if you can work extra time I can then too" said Banessan "You can't really teach; the little ones would try to muck about and they – the Masters I mean – wouldn't let you beat seven sirens out of them."

"I been teaching D'lin for T'fer you know" said Radall indignantly.

"Yeah, but little kids your age can be daft about accepting expertise in others their own age" said Banesson.

This was fairly rich since Banessan had been one of the ones muttering loudest about cheek; but Radall did not know that for sure!

He decided to pretend that he hadn't suspected it though.

"Oh well, it was a thought" he said.

Banessan had had his beliefs in his own superiority shaken; and he wanted to think. So he nodded curtly to Radall and strode off.

"Peculiar boy" said Radall to himself.

wWwWw

The fight between the boys was not mentioned again by either of them; but the other apprentices noticed that Banessan treated Radall with a respect normally alien to the former bully's nature when they met at the noon meal; and wondered much.

Then after the meal, Banessan rose to his feet and raised his hand for permission to speak.

Isimy, wary, nodded permission.

"Master, if a journeyman supervised classes, could Apprentice Radall stay to help us with our jointcrafting until Journeyman Hagel returns?" he asked "To keep us from falling behind?"

Isimy was, to put it mildly astounded.

Such a query from any of the older boys would have astonished him – and from that particular boy it almost robbed him of speech! Fortunately the master recovered himself quickly and did not even gape.

"Radall, would you act as Journeyman's assistant with effective rank as senior apprentice?" the Master asked.

"Oh yes sir, if you would like me to!" said Radall cheerfully.

"Heh, it might make some of them pull their game up to see so little a boy so good" said Alaran in an undertone. "I'd almost suggest getting Kispre in too, only he ignores people he doesn't like which might not help."

"Kispre has more raw talent than Radall but Radall has a more outgoing nature" said Tahnee "He's irrepressible. He'll be fine!"

"Of course – YOU know them both" said Isimy "And pretty well at that, for being Elissa's fosterling."

Tahnee nodded. Kispre was like a little brother to her; and she had been keen to get to know Radall who Elissa had described as like a brother to HER.

And so Radall stayed, hastily accommodated in the room Alaran and Margand shared rather than putting him in with those of his own age!

wWwWw

Radall was patient; it was something he had learned with his lack of legs. Journeyman Hagel was a very competent jointcrafter but a little inclined to give up on the slower ones; and it was to them that Radall was prepared to give infinite pains. The youngest apprentices thought it hilarious to receive information from a boy of their own age or younger; until Radall demonstrated how to execute several difficult joints with a speed that took their breath away.

"Giggle all you like" said Radall "I earn four hundred marks a turn even at apprentice prices on what free pieces I make; in addition to earning my keep for work done for weyr and hall and so you lot enjoy yourselves giggling which earns nothing."

That went home.

The first-turners applied themselves assiduously thereafter!

The first-turners had split, by and large, into groups; the two girls had teamed up with Tirrer, Menisha's friend, and with his new friend Prin; they permitted Gotal to join them on sufferance, poking him when his braggadocio irritated them. Lushall had tired of helping Lirred and worked alone; so Lirred had drifted into a loose alliance with Kelat. Neither could be said to be friends with each other; but they had a shared dislike of the brighter sparks in the class. They also had a loose alliance with the one boy amongst the second-turners who was not part of Deaky's 'gang'; the lad was inclined to sneak and consequently got left out of anything the others got up to!

wWwWw

Kemmern was the Journeyman – albeit only Acting – assigned to supervise while Radall taught. He was a solitary lad by nature, not inclined to seek out the company of youngsters: but he found a position helping to teach was comfortable enough as he did NOT court popularity. Kemmern was probably the most technically apt of the Three Woods apprentices, one reason he was Acting Journeyman; and he was sufficiently impressed by Radall, whose skill he had the knowledge to appreciate still more, to surreptitiously start working even harder, and to listen to Radall's tips to the younger ones!

Oddly, to the views of the Masters and Journeymen, Banessan was Radall's keenest pupil; and he shook the legless boy's hand with real gratitude when Radall explained a point the older boy had missed early on in his training, that had been responsible for his failure to make the grade for turns. Hagel had rushed through mitring and angles without a full explanation; and when he had asked if there were any questions, most of his pupils were too confused to know what to ask. Radall proceeded to collect up a mixed bag of boys who had equally missed the point, from Siffio up, and ran an extra class covering basic trigonometry to give them some background.

He had more attending than just those who could not measure a mitre once word got out that he knew the legendary mathematics! Suddenly the understanding of triangles was fashionable knowledge in Three Woods and the rule of the square on the hypotenuse was widely quoted instead of the boys merely relying on their five-four-three angles! Banessan even began the ambitious project of making a hexagonal table just to prove that he could! He was no great shakes at marquetry, but planned to cut six equilateral triangles from different veneers to cover the top, to demonstrate the grains of different woods.

Margand encouraged him.

ANY signs of enthusiasm in the sulky youth were to be considered hopeful!

wWwWw

Kemmern had known enough to measure mitres; but drank in the new mathematics.

He went to see Isimy.

"Sir, if I confirm as Journeyman, I'd be willing to teach basic jointcraft now I've seen Radall figure out what people need to know; freeing Journeyman Hagel to teach cabinet making" he said "I work well enough under him"

Isimy looked at him shrewdly.

"You feel that Hagel would be happier too with the older ones?" he asked.

Kemmern nodded.

"I'd not have said, before I started working with Radall, that I liked little kids at all; I only really stood up for them with Rillen and your Lemos seniors because it had to be done, and with new brooms there was a point in doing it" he said "But they're enthusiastic and it is kind of encouraging"

Isimy smiled.

"There speaks a man who has discovered a vocation for teaching" he said "Very well; I'll consider having you work with the two junior classes and any…remedial….lads who need to repeat a turn on the subject. It's the mathematics that attracts you too, isn't it?"

Kemmern flushed.

"May I be frank sir? I don't want to disrespect Journeyman Hagel….."

"But you feel that whilst he understands angles well enough to use them he feels a lack of confidence in teaching the same and so he scamps it?" said Isimy.

Kemmern, still as red as a redfruit, nodded in relief.

"It's why Birgel made a better showing; he kind of absorbed it through the skin in his father's own workshop. He can do angles by rule of thumb almost. But I think it helps knowing WHY we do things."

Isimy nodded.

"I agree. And if that is your ambition I'd like you to go back to the Weyr when Radall returns to study mathematics further with Weyrwoman T'lana and with H'llon; they are possibly two of the pre-eminent mathematicians on Pern, with Starcraftmaster Wansor being the third."

"THANK you Master!" gasped Kemmern.

The boy had no interest in standing for Impression – dragons actually made him nervous, though he was not going to let THAT stand in his way – but spending time at the Weyr was an honour!

"I think you could do worse than to take Banessan as an assistant" said Isimy "He seems to have taken to the subject too."

Kemmern pulled a face.

"Well,,,, he's been something of a different boy since Radall taught us Trig" he said without much enthusiasm "I guess…. I guess encouraging the ones you don't like is also part of being a Journeyman?"

"It is indeed" said Isimy "And I'm proud of you that you worked that out for yourself. There are reasons Banessan has been a pain; it is OUR responsibility to improve him."

"Like having Murgen back next turn" Kemmern nodded "Very well, Master!"


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

When Journeyman Hagel returned he was cheered back by a cheerful group of apprentices; and Master Isimy congratulated him on instilling in Kemmern the intent to teach under him if he, Hagel, felt like tackling cabinet making now he had had the chance to refresh his training.

"Oh how I would!" said Hagel hungrily "I very much enjoyed working under Master Idoghan; I'd forgotten what a sour body Master Jaben is!"

Isimy laughed.

"Too many turns of dimwitted boys who can't wait to leave him I suspect!" he said.

"Yes; though having said that, there's this lad, Kispre, who is excused jointcrafting for his level of skill but comes anyway to build the most complex locking mechanisms and puzzle boxes that I'm longing to have a go at building myself!" said Hagel "As well as being fired with enthusiasm to make more complex furniture like Master Idoghan does!"

"Well, hopefully you'll find the apprentices have not forgotten all they have learned; we had a volunteer from the Weyr to revise the older ones and keep the little ones up to scratch; he's H'llon's foster son and by way of being something of a prodigy so after a dodgy day or so they took it well enough" said Isimy. Hagel's self confidence was fragile enough for the Master not to want to knock it by revealing right off just how young Radall really was!

Hagel gave a laugh that was half rueful, half bitter.

"Well, H'llon's relatives at Lemos could demonstrate most skills better than any of us original Journeymen here, down to and including Kispre, who Turned ten this spring! I certainly have a better idea of the standards for which we should be aiming and I've been glad of the chance to bring my own skills back up to what a Journeyman should be! It was an eye-opener I can tell you; Caim, Veller and Kaybez will get a shock all right; and so would Rillen and Kemmern if you sent them!"

"Well I'm sending Kemmern to the Weyr" said Isimy "He expressed an interest in pursuing mathematics to improve his jointcrafting and I was happy to suggest that he should study there. Banessan's going with him; you'll be surprised what enthusiasm over Weyr ideas could do when the rest of us had all but given up on him. He's built a quite respectable hexagonal table."

"Hexagonal? But the boy can't even mitre corners!"

"It's amazing, as I said, how something can catch the imagination! Banessan took to our weyrling woodcrafter – I'm not quite sure why but that he did suffices – and put in more work for him over the last couple of sevendays than I wager he has done in the last two turns."

"I confess, Master, to being wary of anyone Banessan took to" said Hagel.

"Normally I'd agree on general principles. And I was quite astounded that Banessan DID take to him" said Isimy. "I gather he admires the boy for being tough enough to overcome adversity; the lad was born without legs. Whatever; I for one was grateful."

"Yes indeed!" said Hagel fervently "If Banessan could find some enthusiasm we'd be halfway to the delightful atmosphere at Lemos!"

"Oh I think our young ones here, especially the new intake, are quite as cheerful as the Lemos youngsters" said Isimy "When they start producing harmless mischief we'll know."

wWwWw

The harmless mischief came sooner than anticipated.

The youngest of the apprentices were caught out in a sudden heavy rainstorm when out with Andreesas examining different trees and sketching their main features; and were, on their sodden return to the Hall, banished to bed after hot baths.

Bed rest soon palled – after about half an hour – and Tirrer collected the two girls for alpine sports.

Alaran, coming to check if the boys were asleep or might be permitted to get up if they were wakeful, heard squeals and thumps and giggles coming from the dormitory; and hastened to investigate.

All the beds had been lugged into a pile and the mattresses made into a rough slope down which the apprentices were tobogganing on pillows. One pillow had already burst and filled the air with enough wherry down to add the appearance of snow; and Alaran, who had not been expecting anything quite like this, blinked in amazement.

The apprentices froze, some halfway up their mountain; and one, unable to stop – it was Menisha – on a cushion on her way down cascaded right to Alaran's feet.

She gave him a deprecating grin.

"Id's in prebaradtion for dext widnter" she said in a voice thick with nasal constriction. The girl suffered terribly from hayfever and had a permanently blocked nose until the tree pollen subsided, despite the dose she had from the infirmary to help out. Not that the affliction seemed to stop her doing anything she wanted; so the Hall teaching staff did not, on the whole, worry.

Alaran surveyed the scene making clear from his demeanour that they were in trouble. It gave him the opportunity to make sure he would not giggle when he did finally speak. Shards, he thought, even Kelat has joined in! Only Lirred was sulking in his own bed refusing to join in; Lushall, being older, had not been made to lie down; at least one would not have to discipline a boy that old.

Alaran, addressed Menisha's rather specious explanation.

"Nice try but no prize" he said. "I think I must be having a rather bad daydream; I'm going away for a quarter of an hour and this place better be tidy when I return and good little apprentices lying down quietly in their own dormitories."

"Yes Journeyman" it was a resigned chorus.

Alaran withdrew to a linen cupboard down the passage where he might freely indulge the release of his carefully controlled mirth.

He gave them a good quarter of an hour.

On returning, he found the girls gone and the beds back in – mostly – good order. The offending pillow had disappeared and only a few flecks of wherrydown remained. Alaran decided not to look out of a window to see whether there was a large amount of surrogate snow on the ground.

"Well I think you lot may as well get up" said Alaran "I'll see all of you in my study in minutes five."

"I never joined in, Journeyman!" Lirred was quick to point out.

"Noted" said Alaran "I'll see you nonetheless."

He asked Birella if the girls might be sent along too, giving her a quick resumé of what had happened. Birella agreed that if they were in the mood for such high jinx, bed was NOT the place for them!

wWwWw

The seven youngsters surveyed Alaran warily; Lirred stared resentfully too.

"Well as you lot have excess energy and used it up because you can't be trusted to be obedient" said Alaran " – YES Lirred I KNOW you didn't join in – I should think that six of you have tired yourselves out too much to come on an instructive walk with me. Lirred, as a good obedient boy, you may come."

Lirred looked horrified.

Going on an instructive walk was not on his agenda as a high treat, though the others were exclaiming in disappointment.

"MUST I sir?" he whined "I'm still tired! Master Andreesas dragged us all round the High Reaches today AND we got wet!"

"You walked no more than about three miles" said Alaran unsympathetically, gazing on the boy with dislike. "Well if you are still tired you should rest of course. We have the welfare of our apprentices at heart, including the feebler ones among you…..it's not the alpine sports, you lot, that I'm punishing you for; it's for being untrustworthy. You were trusted to rest because you are growing fast and our healer feared a chill could jeopardise your good health. You broke trust and I'm disappointed in you. I'll have to wait and see if you can ever be sufficiently trustworthy again before I even consider giving permission to lay mattresses down the main stairs for alpine sports."

Alaran felt that the sturdy structure of stairs would be safer for such sports than the rickety support of hastily and precariously piled up beds.

Besides it had looked fun.

They looked eager and tried to look trustworthy, a few spontaneous cries of delight at the prospect escaping as Alaran dismissed them all.

"Cuh, he'd a spordt all righd!" declared Menisha "He as good as dsaid if we b'have ourselbves we cad slide down dthe stairs anudder time!"

"He's fair is Journeyman Alaran" said Prin "And I feel pretty bad that we disappointed him!"

The general consensus was agreement!

Lirred, whisked off to the infirmary by the Healer as he was tired enough to be worried about, was less happy. Lazing was one thing; supervised bed rest was something else!

wWwWw

Alaran had the Journeymen's common room in stitches when he recounted the incident.

"FAR more creative than I ever was!" said the young Journeyman "Little horrors! I want a go and I hope you'll all back me to give permission when they've been as good as gold for a while?"

"If holding out the promise of a day of riotous games will keep them well behaved and their noses to the grindstone I'm for it to start with" said Zayven. "Those girls are inventive little horrors; I caught them using wood-dye to change the colour of their shoes for the Gather, of all things!"

"Boys will be boys, and girls who will be boys do it even more" said Alaran philosophically. "Joyous mischief is healthy; it's ragging teachers or other apprentices in class that shows something is wrong. And I mean ragging, not the odd practical joke. They could have forced Lirred to participate if they'd had a cruel streak; but they left him to his solitary boredom. "

"Healthy minded kids have a keen sense of justice" said Hagel "Two little girls at Lemos were cuffed by a bubbly pie maker who falsely accused them of thievery on grounds that they were apprentices; so they put cayenne in his pies."

"Old Villarno?" Alaran was amazed.

"Some new vendor as I understand" said Hagel.

"Oh an upstart pushing in…. And he accused OUR kids of theft? What cheek! He deserved that loss of revenue!" said Alaran.

"Yes; the children were punished for allowing dragonmen to consume two doctored pies and took that as fair" said Hagel.

Alaran nodded.

"Quite so!" he agreed. "Can't let dragonmen be poisoned with impunity; it isn't done!"

"Do you think – going back to the alpine sports business – we ought to check out that it's totally safe?" suggested the papermaker, Caim.

Alaran grinned.

"You took the words RIGHT out of my mouth, old man!" he said.

"Besides, we can't have the kids see us whooping with pleasure beside them – FAR better to do it long after they've gone to bed" said Margand.

The Journeymen all exchanged guilty looks; and sudden, comradely grins!

wWwWw

The main staircase was transformed that very evening, and the Masters too threw dignity to the winds to slide down.

"Ah, that was exhilarating!" said Isimy "And this NEVER happened!"

"No Master" they all agreed.

"Kemmern will be sore to have missed it" said Rillen.

"Oh well, as youngest new Journeyman, we can make him test it before we let the kids on" said Alaran "As a demonstration that we have their safety at heart. That's fair, isn't it?"

"Reckon he'll think so" grinned Rillen.

It had been an eye-opener to discover that his former teachers were really quite human!

wWwWw

The mattresses had barely been restored to their proper places when the storm broke!

Alaran and Margand went straight away to the youngest two groups of boys, directing Rillen to the three boys in the next class, to check if the crash of thunder, audible through the stone, had woken them.

The youngest of all slept the sleep of the overtired; but several of Deaky's coterie had woken.

"You heard it? It is a doozy" said Alaran. "Do you think you can get to sleep again? If not, you'd better put on some clothes and go and get a mug of milk before you return to bed, because I reckon it'll rumble for a while yet."

"They can be bad up here" said Deaky "May I watch it? I'm used to do so from my father's craft cot; to check out for fires, you know."

"Lightning won't usually cause a bad fire" said Alaran.

"Ball lightning does" said Deaky "I remember once when I was little we had to go down the cellar and the wood burned right over us."

Alaran nodded.

"All right, those of you who wish may come into my latheshop and watch out so long as you stay back from the windows. Dress fully, or at least bring a blanket and remember your slippers. It'll get cold when the rain starts. Reckon that downpour earlier was just a forerunner."

"It did thunder a bit as well, but in the distance and it went away" said Siffio "Is the soaking enough to hinder fire, would you think, Deaky?"

"Hard to say" said Deaky "It's such a fierce heat…. And pine is so full of resin, if it once catches the amount of damp won't make much difference."

wWwWw

The storm was quite spectacular; Alaran had never seen anything like it.

"Well they say High Reaches has the crankiest weather on Pern" he said "What's that?" a glowing ball of fire hurtled precipitately into the woods.

"THAT'S ball lightning!" Deaky was pale "It'll burn the forest again!"

"No it fardlin won't!" Alaran stroked little Wally's soft brown hide and visualised H'llon for his little firelizard, with a picture of the ball lightning to pass on.

Wally vanished _between,_

He was back in moments, chirping self importantly.

wWwWw

It was only a few minutes after that that the dragons arrived; and they were flaming.

"What are they DOING?" Deaky cried out in horror "Isn't there enough fire?"

The forest was blazing where the great burning ball had crashed into the trees.

"Firebreak" said Alaran "And a back-fire. You lot may stay here on the understanding that you touch nothing and stay put; they'll need help to pull things out of the way and work the back-fire on the ground. C'mon Margand."

The two young journeymen ran to raise the other horrified Journeyman and hurry to the forest.

A dragon landed.

"Don't worry, we've hooks and ropes" said the young looking weyrling, his face wrapped against smoke. "Only people on dragons allowed; but if you people will have klah for us and healers on hand for anyone hurt, and succour for the craftcotholders we'd be pleased."

"Thank you, Blue Rider, we'll see to that" Isimy hurried up to answer him.

The lad nodded and touched his hand to his flying helmet in salute and took off again.

wWwWw

Presently dragons started bringing in terrified families evacuated from the path of the raging flames; and the Hall healers were busy treating burns as the other support staff and journeymen saw to settling terrified people into the dining hall. Lady Thalara herself came up too with people from the Hold to lend a hand.

"It's a mess" V'lie stopped long enough to take a quick drink of water and to confide such news as she had, fighting a smoke-induced cough "And we must fight Thread tomorrow too….not over you, just to the south, but the storm's hit there too, it's creating mayhem throughout the region. It's….." she paused as thunder drowned out any words she might say "It's the worst storm in living memory."

"We appreciate the Weyr's help" said Isimy.

"You fetched up with most of us inexperienced Thread fighters to save the efforts of most of the Bronze Riders I'm afraid" said V'lie "The Weyr can't jeopardise its main function."

"And for what help you've sent we thank you sincerely" said Isimy "without you, all we could have done would be to withdraw inside the cliff and sit it out and break the news to the kids tomorrow how many of them might be orphans."

"Oh we protect and serve, Master!" V'lie laughed self deprecatingly "That water was welcome; I'd better get back,"

wWwWw

It was a long night.

The flames had got a good hold of the resinous trees and even using burn-back to create fire breaks had not prevented huge swathes of damage to the stands; and the driving out of several families. Deaky's father was a rarity in building a cellar as well as putting a stone cot against a rise. Some cots were actually built of logs, relying on skybroom resin smeared all over them and overhanging slate roofs to protect them from Thread. None of which precautions protected them from fire. Several times the watching woodcrafters saw dragons swooping, then winking _between_ as they rose again and Wally was full of images of the Healer Hall and burned people.

Alaran felt quite sick; and so helpless!

Not that he was in any way idle; far from it! He and the other Journeymen and senior apprentices – who had been roused to help out – helped with carrying people with lesser burns from dragonback to the Hall's own healers. These included Murgen's father and Murgen and the boy's mother and a couple of infants. The logger was screaming about his other children.

"The dragonmen are there" said Alaran "The chances are they've gone with a different dragon."

"Murtine was sleeping with the animals" said Murgen, looking scared "She's fond of animals, and when the storm rumbled up at first and we locked 'em in, she said she'd stay and calm 'em. Gensa said she'd stay too, that's my next sister. They're locked in!"

Alaran stared in horror.

"Locked in?" he cried.

"O' course!" said Murgen's father "Or in a storm, beasts get jumpy and break out and go straying!"

"It's a bad habit among cotholders up here" Deaky was at Alaran's elbow "Please sir, I'm not exactly disobeying you, but the others got tired and so I sent them to lie down and Haella and me have come to help and I thought we ought to report as we'd left where you left us. Did I done right?"

"Well for a disobedient brat you know enough to reason when is the time to disobey" said Alaran "Yes, if they were tired bed is the best place…. You two can run errands. Locking animals in? Insanity!"

"People don't like rounding them up in the morning" shrugged Deaky

"The girls'll be all right, da!" said Murgen "The dragonman had brought Kemmern and Banessan; and I seed Banessan jump clear off of the dragon, I seed him when Kemmern pulled us up; he heered you shout about the girls!"

Alaran felt sick.

Did the dragonman KNOW that Banessan had jumped off and that he and two little girls were there? The lock on the byre door would be a simple bolt and easy to undo, but the fire…..

Alaran came from a family who were inclined to Impress; and he thought as hard as he could at L'sya's Nefreth!


	15. Chapter 15

_As Anonymous asked very nicely... even if I do get snippy about people not giving themselves reasonable handles - here it is early._

**Chapter 15**

L'sya came into the Hall with the dawn. She was weary and streaked with soot and Nefreth had numbweed slathered on a burned forefoot. L'sya's arm was bandaged.

Alaran hugged his sister fiercely, as much as he might whilst avoiding touching her bandaged arm.

"Thanks for reaching to Nefreth, our kid" said L'sya "You helped save them all."

"They're safe? All three?"

L'sya nodded.

"Alive…. Safe? Kind of. Let's tell the girls' family."

Murgen's father was sitting staring at nothing.

Sir?" said L'sya "Your daughters are safe. They're burned and frightened but I took them myself to the Healer Hall. They think that they'll recover fully, bar a few scars."

The logger burst into tears.

"I SEED Banessan, I TOLD you!" said Murgen "He might be a bully, but he's no quitter!"

"He dropped off without telling anyone" said L'sya "But Alaran er, Journeyman Alaran, found power enough to bespeak my dragon….. Banessan had got the kids out and he had the balls and the sense to try to cross the firebreak. Carried them and threw them plain through the ring of fire, only thing that could have saved them. I saw it. Then he ran after them, and managed to hurl them up to me before he passed out. Nefreth grabbed him" she added, proud of her dragon. She hesitated. "Healer Hall isn't sure if Banessan is going to make it" she added in a low voice for Alaran's ears only as Murgen's family rejoiced. "Kemmern and Radall are with him; they want him spoken to constantly by friends, to give him incentive to fight for his life."

Alaran gasped.

"Murgen, with me" he spoke to the dismissed apprentice "L'sya's going to take us to the Healer hall."

Murgen stumbled to his feet.

"You said they was going to be all right!" he cried.

"Your sisters, yes; Banessan needs all his friends and I reckon you owe him for saving your sisters; fighting for his life that he not lose it for fighting for theirs is fair surely?"

"Reckon so" said Murgen, frightened but ready.

wWwWw

Banessan was swathed in bandages.

Radall was giving him a lecture on calculus. He looked up as the two youths came in.

"Best I could think of" said the legless boy.

"It'll do just fine" said Alaran. "Hello Baneassan old man, hear you're a hero! Murgen here wants to say thanks to you for saving his little sisters."

"I owe you, Banessan" said Murgen "Thank you."

Humpbacked Master Oldive looked in.

"I need to test the blood of anyone willing to give some of his own skin to cover this lad's burned flesh" he said "It's a potential life saver."

"Any of us would sir" said Alaran "For anyone."

wWwWw

Oldive muttered about 'rare blood type' whatever that might mean; and pricked four fingers.

Alaran proved a match.

"It'll hurt" warned Oldive.

"Not as much as all that is hurting him" said Alaran "What about the little girls?"

"I'll match them won't I? I'm their brother!" said Murgen.

"Probably; for them it's only to cover scars. The lad here burned his feet half off carrying them to safety" said Oldive "If he's to walk ever again he needs skin grafts to get those hunks of charred meat covered."

Alaran was permitted to stay; indeed Oldive asked if he could bear to have skin taken direct from himself to the burned boy, so it might still have his bloodflow to keep it fresher. Alaran nodded.

It was not too bad; numbweed helped and a limited dose of fellis. The sight of Banessan's feet was not pretty, however! The boy's toes were virtually non existent and Alaran thought lumps of charred meat was an apt description for the rest of his feet. Packs of ice well wrapped in drying cloths were changed constantly by healer drudges to bring the temperature down, to stop the boy cooking from his own raised temperature; and it was ugly.

"He said in a moment of lucidity that the boy Murgen never ragged him…. I suppose there's a story there" grunted Oldive. Alaran suspected he spoke to encourage his skin donor to chat and so take his mind off what was going on.

"Yes there's quite a story" he said "And I suppose it's relevant that you know the basis of it, sir, though normally to speak of discipline within the craft would be unethical. The Crafthall had a blight on it, and this boy and another were encouraged to be bullies by a journeyman. We split them and some of the juniors delighted in gloating. I nipped THAT in the bud too" he added "But I think he felt people's dislike of him; and there can be asides and comments that aren't really quite ragging…..Murgen's a rough tough logger kid, and I reckon he never suffered at the hands of the bullies the way some of the more sensitive kids did, so he never felt a need to strike back. Amazing, isn't it, what consequences arise!"

"It is indeed" said Oldive "All right, I'm easing that right off you now, try not to wince."

Alaran managed not to wince and the drudge was ready with numbweed as the skin lifted away from the inside of the boy's arms.

One of the subsidiary healers put dressings on Alaran's sore arms.

"You're a good young man" said Oldive softly, moulding Alaran's skin round Banessan's foot "I don't suppose you like this one much."

"I've not had cause to do so" Alaran shrugged "But I appreciate bravery like that. He'll have the Silver Star of course!"

Oldive nodded.

"Deserves it too" he said. "And now I need to talk to other members of your family to coerce more skin for the next piece to lay down!"

wWwWw

Kemmern was, in a manner of speaking, on the carpet in front of his Craftmaster.

"What were you and Banessan doing, going off with the dragonfolk anyway?" demanded Master Isimy. Technically there had to be an enquiry when an apprentice was injured when under the care of a Journeyman.

Kemmern pulled a rather frazzled lock of hair back. Both of his hands were bandaged too.

"It was for the woods; we felt we had to" he said "They wouldn't let the younger woodcrafters go but Tahnee went with one of the riders. We were older so we asked if we might help; and they said yes, because we knew trees and could help direct. And we were able to help pull people up onto dragon back. And we did, we jumped down a couple of times to pass little kids up and burned people, and it was much quicker, Master and I think we helped save lives."

Isimy nodded.

"They should have collected the Masters really to do that" he grunted.

"We were on the spot I guess" said Kemmern "And the hall had to have its Masters to direct the kids and keep them calm….I didn't see Banessan leap off the other dragon, and with passengers the Rider didn't miss him right off, it's not the Rider's fault sir. I should have checked he was secure."

Isimy nodded.

"Yes; you should" he said "As his Journeyman you were responsible for him; I'll need you to write what happened but I don't think there will need to be a formal hearing. You were concerned with helping the other passengers; he acted independently and disobediently. Which was for good reason. I can guarantee that you will be exonerated of any blame by the craft under the circumstances; but you must understand why I HAVE to make a full report. You're not a giddy apprentice. Your willingness to stress that the Rider was in no wise at fault will be in your favour; and the Rider has also reported that you cannot be held responsible since you had an arm full of infants and terrified logger's wife."

Kemmern had paled.

"There's an awful lot to being a journeyman sir" he said.

Isimy nodded.

"There is; and being responsible for others is a part of it. Very well; off the record you did well and your devotion to duty to the trees is appreciated and as such I'm proud of you. And I am aware that you could not have stopped Banessan if you HAD noticed. And I'm proud of that sort of disobedience from him too, though I could wish he had told someone he was going after others!" he said. "Get one of the senior apprentices to write up what happened in your own words for the record, and have another Journeyman sign it for you as a deposition you swear to but are unable to sign for the injuries you yourself sustained. Get the fact of your injuries in writing" he added. If there were repercussions from Banessan's family the fact that the journeyman himself was also injured would stand Kemmern in good stead.

"Please, sir, I think – if Banessan lives – it will make all the difference to him to know that you're proud of him" said Kemmern almost in tears "Sir, if he dies, will I be responsible?"

"No" said Isimy. "I told you; you are responsible as a journeyman; but not at fault."

"I – I'm glad you think so sir" said Kemmern "I hope he makes it! We were getting on together really very well, learning mathematics together. He's mixed up and has an odd belief structure but I think he could be all right, if he gets the chance."

Isimy nodded.

"Thank you Kemmern" he said "I'll bear that in mind when I next see him. Go and ask for a dose of fellis; and take a decent sleep."

wWwWw

Work in the mill complex was suspended to help rebuild such craftcots as were damaged by fire. Many craftcots had kept a few animals, and though a few had been able to escape unbolted stalls and flee, outrunning the firestorm, most were lost.

No human lives had been lost, however, thanks to the dragonfolk; and the greater proportion of the forest, their livelihood, had been saved. The crafters who had evacuated but whose cots had been missed by the conflagration gladly – on the whole – helped others who had no roof over their heads; for even those cots built of stone had, many of them, wooden beams on the inside that had burst spontaneously into flame for the sheer heat, as did any furnishings.

Deano and his family emerged from their protective cellar – to Deaky's relief – ready to help; the fire had in fact passed them by this time, but Deano was taking no risks with his family, and felt no need to trouble the dragonfolk who had enough to do with what he called the heedless ones. He had gone out into the forest with his axe, after seeing his wife and younger children into the cellar, to clear a firebreak for himself, and welcome any refugees into his own cot.

Isimy issued orders as Craftmaster that all rebuilt cots were to have cellars dug as a matter of course and should ALL be of stone; and that the cots which had escaped damage were also to have cellars added.

"And deep ones with plenty of air capacity in them too" he rumbled "I want cellars, not ovens!"

Under the circumstances he had the meek obedience of all the loggers where he might ordinarily have had to meet with truculence!

Kemmern meanwhile returned to the Healer Hall to sit with Banessan; Radall had stayed. Alaran flew in with L'sya as often as she could take him; and Isimy too visited the boy to add his voice to those calling him back.

wWwWw

Radall was at Banessan's bedside when the boy recovered consciousness.

"Great Shells!" groaned the older boy "That's some pain!"

"There's fellis; shall I hold the glass for you?" asked Radall "Half a glass to dull the senses, all the glass for sleeping."

"Not yet…. I'm only just awake…. I don't want to go half _between_ until I figure out where I am, what's happening and all the rest of it" said Banessan tightly. "Radall, did my feet burn right off?" his eyes begged an honest answer.

"No. You lost your toes though and you'll be a long time before you can walk" said Radall "That was brave of you!"

"What choice was there? I figured…. I had feet and I could use them" said Banessan "The kids – did they make it?"

"Thanks to you. They'll be fine; a little scarred. All the woodcrafters are tremendously proud of you."

Banessan's face twisted into a sneering smile.

"They'd have been gladder if I'd died" he said.

"That's not true!" flared Radall "No-one wanted you to die! Would various of them including Master Isimy have come to call to you so you knew you were wanted, when you were trying to die? And if they didn't care, why then would Alaran have let Master Oldive peel the skin off his arms to give you the chance of keeping your feet?"

Banessan looked startled.

"He did that?"

"There were plenty of us who would have done – but it has to match. He's the one whose type of blood and tissue matches yours. The rest of us who volunteered didn't have the right type of blood in us" said Radall. "So the few who were right got to be the ones to be peeled like a redfruit. And if they hadn't you would likely have had to lose your feet you know!"

"Oh!" said Banessan, chastened.

"I think you ought to have that fellis really" said Radall "At least enough to dull everything."

This time Banessan permitted the younger boy to feed him the drink; and took it all, so that he drifted off into blessed fellis-induced oblivion.

wWwWw

It was almost two months before Banessan was deemed well enough to be allowed to wake fully again once he had proved that he could wake and hold a sensible conversation. A healer had monitored his conversation with Radall who had been ready to take the fellis away if Banessan has shown any signs of being feverish; though Oldive had too trusted to Radall's common sense to judge if the boy should have fellis or no.

When the boy came fully to himself, Isimy came to visit him.

"Now lad" the big Master rumbled "Though I should tick you off for risking yourself so, I think it more in order for me to tell you that this shows us that there is much more to you than the side brought out by Maybret! Master Oldive says your hands are not too badly burned and that you will be fully able to use your fingers to craft wood, so we may be profoundly grateful for that!"

"I – I'm going to be in here for a long time though, aren't I sir?" said Banessan.

"Yes my boy. But we can have you back in Three Woods in a room near the main bustle of activity if you wish it when you're well enough to move. Unless you prefer to go to your family?"

Banessan shook his head.

"I'd like to come to the crafthall….please…. only it's going to be hard now to make Journeyman before I'm twenty turns."

"You don't need to worry about that" said Isimy "It's still a good number of turns away anyhow; and you'll be permitted as long over as you've spent incapacitated you know, we make every allowance for that! Especially as you were engaged on craft business when you sustained injury, and the craft will do as much as possible to compensate you for that. Just concentrate on getting well; you can learn more mathematics is you want something to do before they let you have tools; and I'll talk to Master Jerint in the Harper Hall about permitting you some tools and wood from their instrument making workshop when you ARE permitted to use your hands."

"Oh sir! Thank you! I – I will concentrate on getting better!"

Banessan was tired; and unaccountably wanted to cry, an urge he thought he had grown out of at an early age. Isimy patted him gently on the shoulder and left him to rest; and to shed a few tears.

wWwWw

When Alaran visited Banessan the apprentice blurted out,

"Thank you for your skin sir!"

"Oh that's quite all right" said Alaran "I asked Master Oldive if he couldn't make the scars look a little like Threadscore to help me to pull; an y'know, he boxed my ears!" he grinned.

Banessan laughed.

"Will – will you have scars?"

Alaran shrugged.

"Small ones" he said "Just marking the edges of the strips…. Small price to pay to help save a fellow's feet! Oldive had some more of H'llon and m'sister L'sya too, only she insisted that he took it off her butt cheeks so it wouldn't show – the vanity of girls, I ask you! Master Isimy, though I'm related to him, didn't match though if he had, he was ready to volunteer."

"D-dragonriders gave me skin?" Banessan was awed. "The Master was prepared to?"

"We all share a rare blood group; such things run in families so anyone related to the first match – me – has a good chance of matching too" said Alaran "And I guess if H'llon was badly hurt, or burned or scored, you'd give him blood or skin, wouldn't you? Master Oldive is starting to list people who match each type for such a purpose?"

"Yes of course I would. Willingly" said Banessan "Why are people so good to me?"

"People are supposed to be good to each other" said Alaran "Specially in craft as we all are, even though H'llon's gone wherrying off to start a new craft, he's still a woodcrafter….. and we're all pretty impressed by what you did too."

"Seemed the only thing to do" Banessan shrugged.

"Yup. That's why you're a hero not a regretful type wondering all his life 'what if' and 'could I have'" said Alaran. "You only got knocks before I reckon and came to the woodhall determined to get your retaliation in first and found the conditions that you could make yourself invulnerable from being bullied if you were the bully, right?"

"I suppose…. I don't need pity"

"Pity is for the weak" said Alaran "You WERE weak when you bullied to get your own back on life because you were doing it in a childish way of lashing out at those weaker than you rather than at those who caused you hurt. But I guess you learned to be strong since."

Banessan digested this.

"I was orphaned young" he said "I had a variety of distant relatives who didn't want me and I got passed around them – not even as stable as Radall's aunt, who did her duty even if she was rotten at doing it. But I knew how he felt. My relatives did enough duty between them in keeping me fed and clothing me but I wasn't wanted and it was made clear. Like Radall wasn't wanted. Well all my relatives had children of their own and I wore cast-offs and I was laughed at because I might be wearing trews that were too short and tight and a girl's tunic. So one time when some of my cousins were laughing I went for them and whipped them all, three of them, in a straight fight; and because one of them was younger than me I got beaten for it and told I was ungrateful. And when I was twelve, they figured that it was cheapest to send me off to be an apprentice and get me out of the way and ThreeWoods was the nearest crafthall so I got to be a woodcrafter."

Alaran stared.

"What, no choice given to you over what craft to pursue? That's almost as bad as marrying a girl to a man she's never met!" he cried "I say, old man, under the circumstances, if there's any craft you prefer, I reckon that Master Isimy would arrange a transfer of craft and a suitable deferment that you need not qualify as quickly as normal!"

Banessan opened his eyes wide.

"He'd go to that trouble?"

"Of course! We chose woodcrafting because we love wood! Being THRUST into it….well I'd not much like having to weave or knit, I can tell you! What did you prefer?"

"As it happens I've come to love wood too" said Banessan, half shyly "Partly thanks to Radall. At first it was just an escape from my uncles, and anything was better; and Horslas and me got in with Maybret and got protected so we were in charge for once instead of being in someone else's power…. But I can CHOOSE wood can't I?"

"You can indeed, old man; and we'll be pleased if you do" said Alaran seriously "And glad to see you back, and ready to help you get back into the swing of it!"

"Murgen's not a bad kid…. Is there any chance you could have him back?" asked Banessan "He didn't know no better because of how things were you know."

"That's generosity to be thinking of another…. That's been arranged long since – before the fire even! He's to come back at Turnover and be down a turn, and the oldest little girl you saved coming too. And he adores her, so we can work on his tendency to pick on weaker kids by pointing out what he'd feel if anyone picked on her. And as a senior as you'll likely be, you can help with that because he's going to just about hero worship you – and no surprise. It'll be FINE!" said Alaran.

And despite being crippled, for the first time in his life, Banessan rather thought that it WOULD be fine!

**The End**

**We'll be going back in time a bit to 'Varalie's tale' next  
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